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6 Ways to Get Great Colors in Your Photos Without Photoshop

Ryan Libre — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 16:30:00 +0000

Increasingly well-known documentary photographer and MatadorU contributor Ryan Libre has the following 6 tips on getting great colors in your photos without post processing.

1. Use a polarizer filter.

Daisetsuzan National Park in Hokkaido is the largest national park in Japan. All images courtesy Ryan Libre.

A polarizer filter takes away reflections when used at the right angles. By cutting out the reflection you can see the “true” colors. These colors can be more vivid than the human eye can see, but are very real. It especially works great on leaves, the sky, water, and skin tones.

2. Underexpose a little or a lot.

The Kachin Independence Army has been fighting for freedom from the Burmese military Junta since 1961. All images courtesy Ryan Libre.

Your camera’s built-in metering system tends to err on the side of lighter exposures. This leaves colors looking faded or washed out. If you underexpose your images the colors will be much richer. Try -2/3rds of a stop.

3. Adjust your in-camera saturation level.

If it’s an overcast day and you know the colors might be a little dull, you can adjust your in-camera saturation. Most every camera has this option. This has two advantages over photoshopping it later. One is you can see the colors in front of you and can select a more “real” saturation level than you can looking at your monitor in an office abstracted from the context of the photograph. The other benefit is that it just saves time.

4. Use your white balance.

The Manau Dance is the central festival that binds all Kachins together. The Kachins sing and dance for 3 days at the Mykitna Manau Festival. All images courtesy Ryan Libre.

Your in-camera white balance is an amazing tool for correcting different lighting and adding mood to your photos. Try taking a portrait on cloudy and auto, and you will see your camera auto WB generally shoots on the blueish side of the spectrum. Good use of white balance can improve a photo’s colors immensely.

5. Switch your color space.

Jo Jandai’s new adobe house. Jo Jandai and others started the Pun Pun center for self reliance outside of Chiang Mai, Thailand. All images courtesy Ryan Libre.

Your camera is set by default to SRGB, which only shows the colors visible on the web. If you switch to Adobe RGB, the color gamut is much wider and your camera can capture a larger variety of colors.

6. Shoot at optimal times of the day / year.

For example, if you want great fall colors, take your shots on just the right day and at just the right time. You will get amazing colors in your photos and the pleasure of seeing them with your eyes as well.

Community Connection

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The Future of Freelance Journalism, Part 2A: Sweaty Balls

David Page — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 21:39:52 +0000

Chi Kung Health Balls. Photo by Chandan Singh

More notes, quotes, tweets, links and other distractions from the confab at Stanford University.

**Nb. If you missed Part 1, start here.

Thursday, June 18, 10:45 AM: Clubhouse Ballroom, Stanford University

I RECOGNIZE HIM FROM THE THUMBNAIL photo he runs every month alongside his Letter from the Editor. In it, his hands are featured as prominently as his well-lit cranium. He gestures as if juggling a pair of Bocce balls, joking with an off-camera associate about — I imagine — the extraordinary heft of his, or someone else’s, cojones.

He is dressed now as he is there: black suit, dark tie, starched white collar, cufflinks. He is the best-dressed man in the room. By a long shot. (Mind you, this is California in June. This is a room to which I nearly wore my caulk-and-chain-grease-enhanced cargo shorts, but ultimately, thankfully, thought it more prudent to go with the more conservative option, the old Levis.) On the screen beside the dais: the Esquire logo, projected large.

@browndamon: Esquire big cheese David Granger is about to keynote Future of Freelancing #ffrl #goat #hackshackers #journalism #esquire

@thestrippodcast: Never realized how straight out of Madmen David Granger of esquire appears to be visually. #ffrl

Esquire, Feb. 2010

He’s charming right out of the gate, ingratiatingly abashed and self-deprecating. He speaks in fits and starts, like a man whose mind runs too fast for the muscles in his jaw. He jokes. He makes light. He has a facility with PowerPoint. He drops names with ease, names I appreciate — Lyle Lovett, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Christina Hendricks.

He trusts he’ll be misquoted on Twitter. It’s happened before, it’ll happen again. And chances are, however it goes, it’ll sell more magazines.

He promises to show this roomful of writers in this time of uncertainty why, in his words, “the magazine is the greatest medium ever invented.”

We don’t doubt he will. We hope he does. He fucking better, we think. For why else travel all the way to the edge of the continent, shell out our last few hundred dollars and spend precious long hours indoors on a gorgeous summer day, if not for salvation, or at the very least a way forward?

@thestrippodcast: As much as I enjoy the pos attitude of #ffrl, I worry that this is like democrats at an Alvin Greene rally, convincing themselves he can win.

And so he does — show us. Granger, that is. Sure, there are the gimmicks — the short story printed as marginalia, the hand-scrawled cover copy (in which we discover what George Clooney means to the future of the planet, etc.), the Augmented Reality experiments, Benicio del Toro heaving a $1200, 5-foot-long, Masonite Esquire logo into the L.A. River.

But it’s all born of editorial desperation, he explains, of boredom with the traditional parameters of “magazining,” of ceaselessly asking the question: “Shouldn’t it be more?”

The goal, he says, is to make the magazine — this one, at least, now more than 75 years old — not only more intriguing but “more essential.” And the most essential element of all? The writing. Good writing, he insists — the best — sexed up as required (given the market and the genre) with great illustration and cutting-edge graphic design and who knows what multimedia bells and whistles lately and later to be devised.

@bertarcher: #ffrl Esquire’s Granger: (Magazines at their best) take words, images and design and mash them together to make magic.

He gives a quick run-through of some of his favorite Esquire pieces of this still-new century. There’s Tom Junod’s unflinching portrait of The Falling Man (and ourselves) from 9/11. “Maybe he didn’t jump at all,” reads Granger with deep reverence, “because no one can jump into the arms of God. Oh, no. You have to fall.”

There’s Chris Chivers reporting from inside the crater at Ground Zero, then from the foothills of the Caucasus, then from the uplands of Afghanistan. Without the slightest nod of apology to the likes of, say, Thucydides or Michael Herr, without blinking, Granger dubs Chivers “the best war writer in the history of war and writing.”

And this, I realize (late in the game, as ever), is how the glossy magazine has survived as long as it has, by its ability to sell itself as essential, as the definitive arbiter of culture: Man at His Best, The Best and Brightest, The Best War Writing of All Time. Or, as counterpoint: The Worst. The Worst Beers in the World, The Worst Members of Congress, The Worst Movies, The Worst Masturbation Idea.

This is how it will continue to survive through the slow destruction of the planet.

But then there’s Tom Chiarella’s fabulously twisted investigation into what people will do for how much money: A Thousand Dollars for Your Dog. How does that fit the rubric?

These writers are “adventurers into the fringes of human behavior,” says Granger. And we can see it now: Granger is on our side. He’s doing what he can — everything he can and with great delight — to create defensible space for the written word. Hoorah!

And then he gives us Chris Jones on the long voyage of a soldier’s body from Iraq to Fort Knox. Nice one. And Chris Jones on Roger Ebert.

Ebert, as you probably know, has lost most of his lower jaw to cancer. In the portrait Granger puts on the screen, Ebert’s once-familiar face is crumpled like a melon fallen off the truck. The most famous movie critic of all time has lost the ability to talk. Fuck. But he’s a writer, Granger reminds us. He’s always been a writer (though we lost track of it for a while, thanks to his success on television). And now his writing — his online journal in particular — is his oasis, his redemption. And by extension ours.

“Now everything he says must be written,” Granger reads (from Chris Jones), “either first on his laptop and funneled through speakers or, as he usually prefers, on some kind of paper. His new life is lived through Times New Roman and chicken scratch.”

I feel the incipient welling of tears. It’s something that happens to me, especially before noon, when there’s a certain kind of news story on the radio and things are still a little raw. Maybe it’s all the coffee, or the lack of protein. Or maybe it’s the sidelong light. It rarely happens when I read something — no matter how good the writing is. But then I don’t usually read much in the morning, except my own half-formed sentences, over and over again, and the daily backlog of emails and googlealerts and random blogposts.

Ethan Hill for Esquire

I find myself wondering the extent to which real sadness can be transmitted by internet. I’m sure it’s possible. But it hasn’t got me yet. Not like public radio.

Anyway, here it comes, right here in the packed Clubhouse Ballroom with birdsong and the gush of the fountain through the open windows. It’s a fissure opening along a weak seam in a dam. There’s seepage. It could easily blossom into a full-on sob (it happens once or twice a decade), not just about Roger Ebert but re: the whole hopeless condition of the human race, our tragic, touching talent for denial in the face of meaninglessness and devastation.

But I get on top of it. And it passes.

Granger says he wasn’t expecting much from the Ebert profile. It was good, of course, but it wasn’t likely to sell too many magazines. Not like a decent joke and a well-photographed actress. But there it was: in 11 days the piece brought 800,000 readers to esquire.com. “There’s a power in writing,” concludes Granger, “not found in any other medium.”

@nijhuism: Chris Jones’ writing alone convinced me! RT @kellymcgonigal: #ffrl Granger keynote has convinced me to subscribe to Esquire.

And so it goes. Granger’s staked out an island and populated it with a handful of terrific writers. And there’s not a person in the room who wouldn’t like to be on it with them. It’s not impossible, he says. Even last year, in the worst year for print media in all our brief lifetimes, new writers broke in. So what’s it take?

1) Balls

Plain and simple.

2) Balls

You have to experiment, push the bounds of what’s been done, risk failing, risk being ridiculed. He quotes the unstoppable Mike Sager: “You’ll never get better if you’re not willing to be terrible.”

3) Sweat

Dimiter Kenarov, not a new writer by any means but new to Esquire, brought to the magazine not only good clips, and pre-arranged high-level access for reporting on the impossibility of withdrawal from Iraq, but also financing from the Pulitzer Center. How could Granger say no? (@cmonstah: Granger inadvertently described future of freelancing: writer has to cover their own expenses, mags simply pay writer’s fee.)

4) Sweat

“I like reporting,” he says. “In a world where people increasingly substitute opinion for facts, reporting triumphs. I ask the impossible of my writers: I want them to report the world so thoroughly they understand it like a fiction writer would. The key is the details.”

5) Blood

“I like writers who write,” he says. “Writing is not inevitable. It’s not inexorable. To presume any of us has something to say, that we can command an audience, is an audacious act, and a great responsibility. And the things that matter are the hardest things to do.”

6) Oh, and Surprise

If it sounds like a magazine story, if he can imagine it in the pages of The New York Times Sunday Magazine, fuck it: he’s not interested.

In passing, as illustration of just how much chaff there is — not just in the world at large but also from within — he mentions staff writer AJ Jacobs’ ongoing 770-ish pages of ideas. Of which a teeny tiny fraction will eventually make the pages of the magazine.

@erikvance: #ffrl – David Granger is a regular guy. A regular guy who will neeeeeever take my pitch. – Or the pitches of 99% of us.

To wrap things up, Granger returns to the notion of bells and whistles and the internet: it’s just a means to get the word out, he assures us. “The internet sucks and it’s been a blessing.”

12:26 PM

In the wake of all this, plus a Q&A that does nothing to dispell the numbing tension between all the glittering possibilities and the absolutely fucking impossible, it hits me (again, a little late in the game, and hungry) that Twitter might be used as a means to connect in the physical world with people I might like to meet.

For example, I think to myself, I could send a direct message to Michelle Nijhuis, @nijhuism, the prolific and ever hard-hitting investigative journalist, contributing editor for the High Country News now live-tweeting from this very same room, something to the effect of:

hey, really admire your work at HCN. buy you a free sandwich in the courtyard? meet by the lemonade tank?

Instead, I slide my computer back into its sleeve and head out as I was born — alone, that is, but slightly better clothed — to investigate the spread.

Next up, Part 2B:

In which our man revels in the non-native aroma of eucalyptus, pees on the hallowed dust of Stanford University, witnesses ceviche served like a scoop of whipped butter, makes note of a variety of fellowships and alternative funding sources for investigative journalism (links provided), dodges the California Highway Patrol, learns that his father has sliced off the tip of his right index finger in the drive mechanism of an irrigation pump, and also that bonobos experience self-doubt, is reminded (one more time) just how much uncompensated hard-labor is required to craft a successful magazine pitch, and, finally, begins to allocate warmth to the notion that the time has come — crazy though it may seem — to start an entirely new print magazine.

Stay tuned!

A Negative Narrative

Paul Sullivan — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 12:11:10 +0000

A new website that uses photographs to create innovative insights into the lives of your favorite music artists…

Images can be equally as good at creating a narrative as words. Then again some things – music, for example, which exists in its special emotional and temporal sphere – can be quite difficult to put into words.

Most written music interviews these days come with some kind of image, but not many tell a story. Mostly simple portraits that reveal what the artist looks like or what kind of clothes they wear. but no real insights into their personality.

Photo: A Negative Narrative home page

But a new website called A Negative Narrative – http://anegativenarrative.com/ – has come up with a way to change that. Rather than interact with their favorite artists via only words, they ask them to respond to questions via images.

“We interview bands and musical artists,” runs the website blurb, “but instead of the tired and dreary formula of re-telling you about their mumbled, misunderstood words in a half-arsed write-up, we let them submit their answers through the beautiful, poetic and artistically-vague medium of photography (thereby retaining their own subjectivity and creative control)”.

Click on the excellent up-coming artist Catherine AD , for example, and you get a series of witty, provocative and endearing images that she’s posted in response to questions like “Define Britishness”, “What Is In Your Pockets?”, “What Do You Find Sexy?”, and “What Scares The Shit Out Of You?”

The interviews also include a self-portrait as the cover image, a short blurb on the artist, links to the band’s relevant social networking sites and a free MP3 track to download. What’s not to like? In the future they are also hoping to attract some bigger names and allow visitors to submit their own questions.

Stay tuned by following A Negative Narrative on Twitter or Flickr.

MatadorU Travel Photography Program

Travel Video Ninjas, Attack!

Joshywashington — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 14:47:37 +0000

Image by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³

Welcome MatadorTV’s latest travel video ninjas. These travelers stand out as skillful narrators who deliver fun videos. This weeks ninjas are Captain and Clark.

Captain and Clark

Not only do Captain and Clark shoot great footage, the casual and informative narrative kicks booty. Captain and Clark are travel video ninjas to be watched!

RECENT NINJAS

ToLokyo

Freelancing in Tokyo, wandering neighborhoods vlogging and helping create online travel video community on YouTube are all in a days work for Philip Cotsford aka ToLokyo.

Kim Mance

Kim Mance of Go Galavanting.com & TBEX creates professional, adventurous and inspiring travel videos, making her a travel video ninja of the highest order.

Cailin O’Neil

Cailin O’Neil is cranking out vids and collaborating with the likes of Candice Walsh. Sounds like a ninja to me!

Sierra Anderson

From starting her own travel internship to documenting the commercial fishing world, Sierra is a true ninja.

Ryan Commons

Beautiful, deliberate mountain top videos set Ryan apart from the fold. Follow his alpine explorations and enjoy the climb.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Do you know a Travel Video Ninja? Might you be Ninja? Email josh(at)matadornetwork.com to suggests travelers that you think MatadorTV will like.

HDR Photography – Stuff of Dreams or Satan’s Spawn?

Paul Sullivan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 22:53:01 +0000

What’s your take on High Dynamic Range photography?

High Dynamic Resolution (HDR) is the Marmite (or Vegemite, depending on where you live), of photography. There’s no real sitting on the fence with this stuff, you either love it – or, like me, would rather skewer your own eyes out with a monopod than look at a gallery of the stuff.

Photo: www.stuckincustoms.com

You know the type of photography I mean – those oversaturated blasts of hyper-reality that make you feel like someone spiked your vodka Martini and shoved you inside a kaleidoscope.

To break it down, High Dynamic Range allows a greater “dynamic range” of luminances (brightnesses) between the lightest and darkest sections of an image than is normal. This is usually achieved by capturing multiple photographs of the same image at different settings then merging them into one photo – a HDR photo.

Of course, as a photographer I appreciate the technical prowess and skill that goes into a HDR photograph – or at least used to go into it, before plug ins like Photomatix and in-camera HDR tools became freely available. Photographers like Trey Ratcliff, to give him credit, have been plugging away at this stuff for years, and know their onions from a technical point of view.

But like all art techniques that were once the realm of specialists and have grown popular and overused, HDR these days just feels like cheap novelty – the photographic equivalent of Auto Tune in rap, with roughly the same level of “cool” – to me – as a Mickey Mouse holographic wristwatch.

I know, many of you love and will defend HDR, and that’s good. Where would the world be without opinions? I’ll even be kind enough to leave you with this 85-image HDR gallery. Me? I’ll be in the kitchen, eating my Marmite sandwich.

What do you think of HDR? Tell us in the comments section below…

MatadorU Travel Photography Program

The Future of Freelance Journalism, Part 1

David Page — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:25:23 +0000

La Quebrada Cliff Diver, Acapulco, MX. Flickr photo, esparta

Is there one? Decidedly yes. But it may not be all summer breezes, free wine and chocolate-covered strawberries. In the face of proliferating distractions, our man begins to glean that if the goal is to write more than 140 characters at a sitting, and also keep the kids in breakfast cereal, serious focus — and a good deal of risk — may be the only sure way forward.

**Disclosure: In the researching of this post, the author, as best he can remember, received approximately the following material compensation from sources other than his publisher: one chicken salad sandwich, two chocolate chip cookies, two cups coffee, assorted cut fruit and chocolate, several glasses white wine, one sip champagne, one glass fresh-squeezed orange juice, free parking, sunshine, and wireless internet.*(see comments below for clarification)

Friday, June 18, 9:15 AM, Stanford Terrace Inn, Palo Alto, CA

I PARK IN FRONT OF A CLASSIC STUCCO MOTEL handsomely done-over in Euro boutique style (where I will pay the standard, slightly-discounted group rate of $155 for a room overlooking the ice machine, plus $3 for toothpaste and $4 for shaving cream). I’ve beaten the googlemaps estimate from SF by 14 minutes. I’m dosed up on NPR and coffee, and cheered by the dissolution of the fog.

There’s a waffle bar in the lobby. Guests are gathered around it like a hearth. At reception, two young girls who might be 12 or 14 or 18 (I find I can’t tell anymore) are on their respective smart devices, texting friends in distant lands while Mom works to secure a roll-away. I can’t help but read the latest missive:

top college in US and only 72 degrees!

If I had an iPhone, I might look up who coined the phrase “The future is now.”

I procure a hard-copy map of the campus and gain permission to ditch the car in the underground lot. Remarkably, despite Griffin Dunne talking to me on the radio about his father crashing the funerals of murder victims, I remember to remove the bike from the roof rack BEFORE entering the garage.

9:55 AM, Clubhouse Ballroom. Freeing Your Inner Entrepreneur: Reinventing Yourself for the Changing Media World

I’ve missed the free bagels.

Trudeau does tweeting journos (NPR)

The discussion is well underway by the time I get my nametag and slink over to an open window along the edge of the room. The place is packed. The mood is casual and upbeat, resolutely forward-looking. A fresh breeze blows in from the Pacific. I strain to hear the panelists over the clacking of laptop keyboards and the pleasant swashing of the fountain in the courtyard.

“Err on the side of disclosure…” is about where I catch the train.

From this vantage I can see no one else working with pen and paper. Beside me stands the mastermind behind the whole event, pert, blade-sharp, quietly organizing the world from the dashboard of her red-leather iPad.

Into my current ass-molded Moleskine, with a Mexican-made Bic secured second-hand from the Marriot in Irvine, I scribble:

# of trad notebooks: 0 (am I looking backward?)

On stage, full-time freelancer and whale lover Matt Villano moves from the subject of disclosure into the importance of diversification, of expanding one’s repertoire into new subject matter and new media, “like a stock portfolio.” Having just had a kid, he jokes (sort of) of “breaking into the parenting niche.”

There’s some consensus that writing for free is only a good idea — maybe — if you have something specific to sell, rather than just for the abstract promise of “exposure.” The exposure had better be real and worthwhile. “Writing for 10 cents a word, I don’t care who you are,” says Villano, “at some point it’s offensive.”

“Don’t wait for inspiration: You have to go after it with a club.” — Jack London, as poached from Christine Larson

As for Twitter and Facebook and such, baseball and tech writer Dan Fost recommends staying off the stuff. Marci Alboher, journalist/author/speaker, describes social media as the freelancer’s water cooler, which draws a wave of nods from the audience. Villano, pulling from MBA theory, advises spending no more than 10% of your overall budget (read: time) on marketing (read: social networking). He does the math:

60 hrs x .1 = 6 hours max per week invested in the public persona.

Damon Brown, who writes about sex and technology for Playboy, says he uses social media to connect more directly with his audience. Then he adds: “if you cover Amish culture your audience might not be on Twitter.”

Meanwhile, on Twitter, #ffrl:

@cmonstah: Agreement in the room that Twitter is the great journalistic water cooler.

@JessicaDuLong: Can I just say how excited I am for the upbeat, forward-thinking energy here at #FFRL ? So refreshing. Looking forward to recalibrating.

@thestrippodcast: I love that we’re having a discussion about the panel during the panel.

@kellymcgonigal: I’ve started using a program called rescuetime, and find I spend ~1/2 my time writing. Feared it was less.

Simultaneously, back at the front of the room, Fost suggests that perhaps his most successful strategy as a freelance writer has been to marry a lawyer.

In the courtyard there is fresh-squeezed orange juice and sunshine. I chat with a former staff-writer for Time magazine. After her section was shuttered, her husband got a job in Modesto and they moved to California. She’s now angling for a future wherein Modesto, which may in fact have redeeming qualities, does not figure quite so prominently.

Next up (Part 2):

In which David Granger, rockstar Editor-in-Chief of Esquire, makes a strong case for The Magazine — his in particular — as the greatest medium ever invented. And then lays out just how much blood, balls and marrow-sapping dedication will be required to participate.

Our man goes on to sample oak-aged tequila at approx. $6/oz., refrains from joining a poker game in the motel lobby, agrees to pay $3 for a sample-size tube of toothpaste, makes note of a variety of fellowships and alternative funding sources for investigative journalism (links to be provided), learns that his father has sliced off the tip of his right index finger in the drive mechanism of an irrigation pump, and also that bonobos experience self-doubt, and is reminded (once again) precisely how much hard-labor will be required to craft his next successful national magazine pitch.

Read it now!

Perspectives on Poverty (and other African stories)

Paul Sullivan — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 16:47:54 +0000

Every photo tells a story – but which story?

Every photo tells a story, they say. I believe it’s true – but then there are usually many sides to a story, and a question that every appreciator or viewer of photography should perhaps ask themselves is: which part or side of the story is this particular photo telling?

Photo: Duncan McNicholl

Even when photographers don’t think they have biases, they do. It’s impossible for any sentient being to not be influenced one way or another by his or her political, social, cultural backgrounds and/or immediate environments. Aside from that, there’s the ever-present danger of adhering to cliche – photographing in a particular style that’s worked for others in the past.

This important point was raised yet again recently when I came across a Petapixel.com article about a photographer called Duncan McNicholl. McNicholl takes photos of Africa that aim to “expose the dehumanizing way in which Africans are depicted through the media.” His project “Exploring Different Perspectives Of Poverty Through Photography” involves taking two photos of the same person – one with the typical symbols of poverty (a miserable look and ripped clothes, for example) and another of the same person looking their very finest.

The images are striking, showing something we don’t normally see – the other (or at least another) side of the story. As McNicholl states in the article, “a change in perspective is needed to see beyond the familiar stereotypes of poverty, and to see development [as] a means of collaboration for investing in capable people. Collectively, we can initiate a shift in perspectives towards viewing the rural poor with the dignity and the respect that they deserve.”

A very similar perspective is embraced by a new online photography project called African Lens. The site owners state their aims clearly: “The dominant representation of Africa today is one of war, poverty, disease and everything that can go wrong with humanity. It is famously referred to as the “forgotten continent”. African Lens is designed as a platform to document and present a visual Africa in an unbiased way.”

Content comes from a mix of established photojournalists and users and the site makes for an enthralling trawl, with stories and photo essays emerging from all kinds of places and viewpoints. You really get the sense you’re experiencing the continent through multiple perspectives, a liberating feeling compared to the one-dimensional ‘mediation’ we ordinarily experience through the news (and even via famous photojournalists).

I feel both these projects should be applauded and supported for providing us with deeper insights into Africa’s beautiful complexity, and for broadening our understanding of Africa and the world.

Do you know of other sites that offer similar ‘alternative perspectives’? We’d love to hear about them in the comments section…

MatadorU Travel Photography Program

Decolonization of Self: Interview with Travel Writer / Photographer Marcus F. Benigno

David Miller — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 13:28:17 +0000

Marcus F. Benigno lives out of his backpack and is on an open ended project to document sustainable action worldwide.

Artist Cecelia Webber photographed by MFB

SO MANY writers seem entrenched in commodified thinking.

They isolate whatever they’re writing about from its temporal, historical, environmental, and cultural context, thus reducing it to or framing it as a kind of commodity.

I’m always looking out for writers that seem aware of this and are doing something new. I was stoked to find Marcus F Benigno’s website A Sustainable Feast last week.

MFB’s subjects are people and projects that challenge conventional paradigms. Throughout his work there’s always a sense of maintaining a historical perspective, remembering what has been tried (and perhaps failed), but instead of conjecturing about “the future” (an act which often seems to derive from commodfiied thinking), MFB focuses on individuals’ sustainable actions as the necessary, ground-level response.

I immediately wrote MFB asking for an interview. We emailed the following questions / answers back and forth:

Name: Marcus F. Benigno

Age: 24

Cultural heritage / Ethnicity: Filipino-American

Languages spoken: French, Filipino, Arabic, German

Based out of: My 90L Eagle Creek Backpack and cafes with wifi

Palace of Palenque in Chiapas (MFB)

Education: B.A. International Development Studies, McGill University, Montréal, Canada

Current work / projects: 1) Personal travelogue and reports on sustainable constructions worldwide; 2) documentation of youth involved in sustainable/green action (photography, copy)

Writers / Journalists whose work inspires you: Hemingway, André Gide, George Lakoff, Miranda July, among others

Photographers whose work inspires you: Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Jimmy Chin, Balazs Gardi, …

Artists whose work inspires you: Audrey Beardsley, Paul Klee, Olafur Eliasson, Charles Spearin, …

Books / magazines / media currently reading: Varlam Shalamov’s Kolyma Tales, Rory Stewart’s Places in Between, Twombly’s Frank Lloyd Wright Essential Texts, Monocle

Latest MP3 downloaded: An album called Fónok by Czech duo, Dva

Last concert attended: Mahler’s 5th @ the Hollywood Bowl

[DM]: In your blog’s “about” page you write:

“Jaded by academic discourse and journalist frivolity (with which this author has cavorted and gained much insight), mfb is on a lifelong hiatus committed to the decolonization of self and the exposition of sustainable action across the globe.”

Several phrases in that sentence resonated with me, particularly “decolonization of self.” Can you elaborate on what this means?

[MFB]: Everyday, I make decisions whether they be conscious or routine. The belief that I make these decisions autonomously is an illusion. The rationale that guides my choices is dictated by a sphere of influence external to me as an individual. This system is a naturally occurring, socio-cultural phenomenon that is neither good nor bad.

A mural at the Casa del Pan in San Cristóbal (MFB)

However, when the sphere of influence mutates into a sphere of imposition and starts to limit the epistemological framework of the individual through conditioned desires and identities, then that individual has been colonized.

Postcolonial critique and a subsequent reappropriation of identity preconquest are no longer sufficient. What is necessary now in an age of globalization in flux is an active attempt to decolonize oneself. Our collective consciousness and education must no longer be contingent on vocation and capital as an end and must be liberated from the polarization of abstractions (gendering/non-gendering, heteronomy/queering, etc).

The goal is not to vivisect the inherent (imposed) drives that impel us but to meditate upon and mediate these forces by acknowledging their inescapable hold on our existence and from there challenging its role on our perception and actions quotidian. Just as the realization of perfection or nirvana is impossible, the decolonization of self in the postcolonial era is an unattainable state that we must continue to seek.

The second part of your bio that resonated with me:

“Cited as a ‘culture vulture’ by an anonymous reader, Marcus F Benigno (mfb) is a professional traveler and expert sciolist who specializes in everything but nothing including print design, social and cultural commentary, urban nomadism, and photography.”

I like how, instead of non-ironically branding yourself as a “freelance journalist” or “photographer,” you’re stating that you do a bunch of different things but there’s still a pattern to it, which seems an increasingly relevant response to new media / writing / photography / design / art. The one thing that seems to underpin everything though: how do you sustain it? How do you make a living?

On a jaunt through Petra a few years ago, I met a Spaniard working at the front desk at the Valentine Inn. The day I hitched back to Amman, I was surprised to find him on my route. Like the travelers who frequent the inn, he was on the move. He had setup an informal, two-week agreement with the inn’s proprietor: labor for room and board.

Months before, he had abandoned all his possessions and his profession as a construction worker in Madrid. With a light messenger bag and the pair of trousers he had on, he left eastward edging the Mediterranean and stumbling onto odd jobs and warm retreats along an undetermined route. He recounted similar experiences like in Italy where he had picked flowers in exchange for refuge and sustenance.

This encounter among others led to my own reliance on where stability can only be sought, in the present. Currently, I am wwoofing for a family outside of Stockholm. And still, there are possibilities of farming in Siberia and Thailand. But who knows?

In a section of a blog post titled “The Art of Travel Writing” you write:

In Mornings in Mexico, D. H. Lawrence elaborates the exotic with his interpretation of a Mexican narrative. In classic Orientalist fashion, he probes the Other and suggests nuanced customs like an Indian mindset in which “time is a vague, foggy reality.” Essayists like Lawrence and the contemporary Alain de Bouton have codified the voice of travel literature. Their compositions paint pictorials of whimsical excursions and transitory crossings. Their subjects are accidental and their objectives hedonist.

I see this codification continuing to permeate much of travel writing today. My question though: who was the exception to this? Hemingway, for example–in a Moveable Feast (which your blog title plays off)–would you consider that work codified? What about the travel writing of David Foster Wallace? What about people working right now? Whose writing is “decolonized?”

Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast is similar to autobiographical works by Gide and Shalamov whose stories forge on a blurring of historical fiction and fact. Their writings compose a cultural memory arguably more valuable than historiographical renderings of social history and the essentialist accounts by travel writers like Lawrence/de Bouton. But in the same vein as my endeavor to self-decolonization, I wouldn’t consider these or any other postcolonial work to be decolonized in their content. Rather, it is a stylistic question of context and genre.

Nic*Rad at the Rare Gallery (MFB) (MFB)

Traveling, learning about people/place/culture, and documenting and sharing these experiences stem from a natural Orientalism, a curiosity of world and culture and the Other.

It is only when one embarks on this exploration from a position of power and superiority, then the “project” is imperialistic and colonial in nature. When I mentioned the stylistic question of context and genre, I am referring to a respective analysis of literature:

Context. 1) For whom is the writer writing/who is the reader? (academia, bourgeoisie, tourists, public, self) What is the writer’s motivation and purpose? (curiosity, capital, science, status/degree, power)

Genre. 2) Where is the writer in the writing? Is the work autobiographical, anthropological, ethnographic? Is the writer estranged from the “subject”?

From your latest blog, you write:

“For the last twenty-eight days and counting, I have flown, trained, bused, rideshared, and walked across Europe. The goal: travel through Eurasia and document urban space, sustainable development and architecture, and people who challenge conventional lifestyles while (re)creating a more viable world for present and future generations.”

Can you list / link some of these people / places / projects that are challenging conventional paradigms?

Soon enough, I’ll be blogging about these encounters. I just haven’t had a reliable wifi connection in rural Stockholm! But the peoples/places/projects include a Berlin-based artist/singer with a project at the La Fayette in Paris, alternative spaces like a coop coffeeshop in Stockholm, a Czech PhD student in sustainable architecture who built a school in the Himalayas, and much more.

What is your current setup for photography / new media production?

The tech’s pretty compact: Canon 50D, MacBookPro, and a Yamaha PocketTrakC24. I left my Lomo at home

Where are you planning to go next?

Helsinki at the end of month, TransSiberian July-August, and then Mongolia and then?

Community Connection

Please visit MFBenigno.com for more.

5 Reasons Your Travel Video SUCKS

Joshywashington — Fri, 28 May 2010 14:03:35 +0000

The first step to not sucking is knowing what sucks….

Photo: Divine Harvester

NEVER FEAR, every rucksack travel vlogger has been guilty of these video crimes at some point.

The overall elements of suckage fall under several categories, including:

Redundancies

Don’t show us anything that is already known implicitly if it doesn’t add anything new to the story or to you as a character. Kudos for taking the time and effort to document your adventure, now fight the urge to make a cookie cutter travel video.

Time Wastage

Cut to the chase & mind our fickle attention spans. The average time spent on most web pages is mere moments, make good use of your nanosecond of my waning concentration.

Snore Induction

Your experience traveling is unique, intrigue us with the peculiarities of travel by offering us only the best, most intriguing aspects of your journey. Your new video editing mantra ~ “All Killer, no Friggin Filler!”

Lameness

Shitty “windswept” audio, awkward narration, cliches, cultural insensitivity, shots of people who clearly don’t want to be filmed, bad transitions…the catalog of lameness is long and lame.

5 WAYS TO SUCK

Within these general categories, here are some specific ways people mess up their travel videos:

NO PACKING!

We all know that you have packed your bags and you have brought extra underwear and Imodium… let’s not beat a dead horse.

NO AIRPORTS!

Yes, it is your first video in your “series.” Yes, you are catching a place to [wherever] and you are uber excited. But spare us the airport, airplane, baggage carousel and get to the meat.

NO CAMERA OUT THE WINDOW DRIVING SHOTS!

You are in a car/bus/tuk tuk and are stoked for the rolling hills/jungle/plains rushing past, but trust me, this shot is not going to turn out. It will be skewed, shaky and probably focused on the smear of mosquito on the window and not the gorgeous dusk parallax.

Pull over and get a shot.

NO HOMERIC EPICS!

Short and sweet, that is what your travel vids should be. Keep them hovering around 5 minutes at the most and if you can get them down to 2 minutes you are a champ.

We want snacks; short & easily digestible travel vids that don’t take all day to load and watch.

Less is more. I had someone forward me their travel video that clocked in at 48 minutes last week. My god, if your name is Sir David Attenborough, then OK. If your name is Joe Blow, spare me!

NO AWKWARD MOMENTS!

Remember your mom swinging the over-sized camcorder in clumsy arches, telling everybody to “Say hi” and asking awkward, camera shy siblings “Where are we?”

It wasn’t cool then, and it certainly isn’t cool now.

EVEN MORE WAYS TO SUCK

NO MUSIC: Tunes that add to the flow and feeling of your vid are a must. Go one further and use only artists you have permission from or Creative Commons beats.

NO CREDITS: If you are using music or have had help filming / producing / editing your video, credit those that have contributed either at the end of the video or in your description.

PHOTOS: Going from video to a montage of still photos is a video killer. If I want to peep your photos I will follow the links to your Matador gallery.

COMPRESSION: You have a dope video but didn’t compress it in high quality… why??
Say it with me; 1280 X 720HD

You don’t have to suffer from sucky travel videos. Reclaim your travel vid and treat the symptoms of suckage with attentive practice and an unwavering eye for awesome.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

What else sucks about sucky travel videos? Or, if you please, what doesn’t suck about great travel videos? Share your thoughts on suckage in the comments.

Buying and Selling Words: Notes on the Fluctuating Price of a Sentence

Robert E. Cox — Wed, 26 May 2010 19:11:52 +0000

Donkey Market, Gizeh, 1900-ish. Brooklyn Museum

Another big middleman just strolled into the marketplace. What’s it mean to the little guy selling sentences? Or to the casual shopper with a pair of dinar in his pocket and a hankering for a good story? An old-school journalist weighs in.

FIRST SOME CONTEXT (from the editor): Not long ago, from the New York Times Magazine, we got a rough overview of online news-and-writing ventures such as The Faster Times and True/Slant. What did these bustling start-ups mean for the future of publishing? Would any of them make it? If so, what was the secret?

The bright new model, it seemed, was one in which the lone (read: unemployed) journalist/entrepreneur banded together with others of his or her ilk to publish, promote, and ultimately, we hoped, profit in some small way from what he or she could not help but continue to do from the echoing depths of his or her basement, or from the road: i.e. to create “content.”

For just whose benefit, exactly, remained very much in question. Though of course from our vantage here at Matador it seemed a decent step up from the Brazilian-gold-mine model of content-agglomeration pioneered by the likes of huffpost and examiner.com.

Then came the news that Forbes, that armada of well-stocked galleons from the Old World, had for an undisclosed sum acquired True/Slant. Was it good news? Perhaps. Or perhaps not.

Here’s our man Robert E. Cox with some thoughts on the subject (for which he will be paid the approximate market value of a fifth of mid-shelf bourbon whiskey):

THERE’S BEEN A LOT OF NIBBLING AROUND THE EDGES of this type of flea market for journalists — and logically so; the internet lends itself to this sort of thing — and the entry of Forbes brings a heavy-hitter to the table, which might move the concept to a higher mesa.

A couple of things strike sour notes. One, the concept of “journalist as entrepreneur” seems an oxymoron; a dangerous one at that. There should be at least a friendly conflict between the reporter (journalist) and the publisher (entrepreneur). Journalists are supposed to tell the truth; publishers are supposed to make money. Reporters drink bourbon, publishers drink Scotch. The two are not precisely compatible.

But the two are symbiotic — the reporter relies on the strength and backup of the publisher to stand behind him/her whenever somebody gets pissed off about a story and comes a-threatening. That relationship has always been the rock upon which good reporting has rested, and the decline of big, well-funded, powerful daily newspapers, I’m afraid, marks the beginning of a decline in the number of reporters willing to publish unpleasant facts. And those “unpleasant” ones are the facts we really need to know. Will Forbes and other flea-marketeers be there to back up its contributors when they get threatened? I’m doubtful.

It also grates a bit to read that the contributors to this venture will receive “bonuses” from Big Daddy in return for drawing readers to the advertising that Big Daddy sells. Something’s wacky there: I think that the creator of the product — the written material — should get the lion’s share of income derived from the creation, and that the middleman — in this case Forbes — should get a smaller piece of the loot for distributing the product and selling the advertising. Sort of like the relationship between the ketchup manufacturer and the trucking company. What’s more valuable here, the ketchup or the trucks?

“Bonus,” my butt. Just pay me for my stuff. I’ll go away happy.

(I’m envisioning a day in the future when writers take to the streets and unionize for fair wages. Back to the future, eh?)

All that said, this seems to be the way things are heading, and as long as there are more people dying to become writers, there will be publishers concocting ways to get rich off their labors.

Community Connection

What do you think? Is it pure nostalgia to dream of journalists and publishers as not just separate hats but separate people? Does it make sense to put the creators of content also squarely in charge of its distribution? Will all this ever settle down, so we can just get back to reading and writing?

Talking Travel Video with inTransit’s Peter Bragiel

Joshywashington — Thu, 20 May 2010 07:56:53 +0000

PETER BRAGIEL travels slow and takes in the view, camera in hand.

FIRST he walked from LA to San Diego, capturing the journey for his video series The Walkstars.

Then in Scootstars Peter putted across America on scooters that max out at 29mph documenting the interactive journey in 31 episodes.

His latest travel video adventure, inTransit ,takes him from his native lands of LA to Panama, only utilizing the slow travel of public transportation.

inTransit episode 12

This week I caught up with Peter to talk travel video and the creative process.

How would you define your travel style?
I usually have a loose outline of where I’m going and take it from there. I’m alright with deviation. I don’t like to make reservations or plans, it stresses me out. But sometimes I have to.

Where were you when you realized that you loved to make travel videos?
I realized I enjoyed making travel videos when I noticed there was a potential audience to watch my videos. Thanks to YouTube and other outlets I was able to reach a larger audience. Otherwise, the videos I made were just for my friends and me.

An actual place would have to be midway through my attempt at walking around the island of Oahu. I was in my tent on the North Shore looking back at the footage I shot that day and thought “this is pretty cool, I think I might be onto something.”

Your videos have an intriguing aspect that sets the context for the travel, such as taking public transportation or a slow-ass scooter. Why is it important for you to have this framework?
It’s important because it helps me respect distance and time. You don’t know how far you’ve been or how far you’re going unless you’ve experienced it along the way. The challenge gives me the ability to focus on my surroundings. By taking it slow, you truly appreciate the good times whether it’s the cold beer at the end of the day, a warm shower, or the simple fact that you’re alive and doing something exciting.

Travel is a metaphor to life. You have your ups and downs, literally and figuratively, your peaks and valleys. Ok enough of the philosophical stuff, I guess I had to get it out. Sorry about that, I guess that’s what travel could do to you.

Do you travel to make videos or make videos while traveling?
Well, not sure how to answer that. If I’m visiting a place, chances are I won’t film. If I’m “traveling,” chances are I will. I like to put emphasis on the act of traveling, the action of getting from one point to the other. Otherwise I don’t believe I’m traveling, I’m just temporarily relocating. I think that’s the distinction I’m trying to create from other “travel shows.” Keyword here is “trying.” So if I’m going to film, there’ll be some thought / planning on the production side.

How did you get started creating media? What is the most important thing you have learned while making travel vids?
Growing up, my brother Dan was the director and I was the actor in our backyard film projects. He was into stop motion, editing, sound mixing, etc. I learned a lot through all of this. We always made videos for school projects, easy A’s.

Fast forward to 5 years ago, I got a video camera of my own as a gift and just kept filming stuff. I joined YouTube a few months after it came out and released some music videos/skits. Some got featured, which back in the day would give me a couple thousand views. I was amped on that and kept trying to find my niche.

I was addicted to those views. I created a series called “The WalkStars,” where a group of us walked from LA to San Diego. I’d film during the course of the day and then release an episode that night, creating a semi-realitime experience. As my audience grew, I was hooked on creating content.

The most important thing(s) I learned from making travel videos is that you could never shoot enough footage. Also, that when things get awkward you need to make it more awkward by whipping out the camera. That’s something I keep reminding myself to do. It’s easier said than done.

What aspect of creating your vids do you enjoy most?
The anticipation of traveling and then the release of a video. I love picking out production equipment and then trying to pack it all for the road.

What was your inspiration for inTransit?
Not sure. There are a lot of things that inspired inTransit. I think it was my senior year in high school. I would get out of class early and didn’t want to wait for the bus. So sometimes I would walk home which was about 6 miles away. Funny thing is, by the time I got near my house the bus was either trailing behind me or a friend would offer a ride. That got me into walking.

Growing up, our family used to travel a lot. Oftentimes we would take long road trips. We drove around Europe for 3 months in a camper van, down to Mexico from Chicago and all over the United States. So I guess it was in our blood to take part in these long distance journeys. I have to thank my parents for forcing us out of the house and onto the road.

Before inTransit, my brothers rode their bicycles across the United States. I didn’t go, so that also had something to do with it. I remember making a video/photo montage of their trip when they finished. I think I was secretly jealous, but still very proud.

What kind of crew did you have along with you?
Just myself and a camera guy I met off craigslist who is now a very good friend. My girlfriend joined us in Mexico City. She was our field producer. It was great that she was able to experience this type of travel. She was great at it! I like to keep the crew light. Mo’ people mo’ problems, no people no problems. You know what I’m saying?

What was your biggest challenge filming In Transit?
Probably being both a director and actor. You can’t run away from yourself, so it was hard to be motivated on different levels. That and not wanting to film a scenario, but forcing it. Like I said before, the awkward moments where you make it even more awkward.

So what is your next travel media scheme?
Not sure. I have a few ideas. I don’t want to commit to anything just yet. I hate saying I’m going to do a particular trip and then not pull it off. I’ll keep it in my head and then when the time comes, I’ll do it. There are so many possibilities out there. I’m also open to see what my audience is interested in.

THE STATS

Favorite Book: Islands in the Stream by Ernest Hemmingway

Last song Peter listened to: “Can you Discover?” – Discovery

Favorite Destination: My parents house in Illinois. They’re super cool, and I have a great time with them.

Twitter: @peterbragiel

Keep up to date with Peter’s latest travel video antics as the inTransit saga continues at www.intransit.tv

What’s Your Favorite Photography Magazine?

Paul Sullivan — Mon, 17 May 2010 12:37:48 +0000

Print photography magazines are still alive and kicking. Which one is your favorite?

Photo: JoshuaDavisPhotography.com

I was just reading an article called “30 Photography Magazines Worth Subscribing To” over at Photo Tuts +, and it got me thinking about what a pleasure it is to leaf through a copy of National Geographic or a specialist title like Digital Photographer over a cup of coffee — preferably away from the laptop and its insistent tugs for your attention.

That feeling when the world around you deliquesces as you immerse yourself in one glorious, glossy travel photo after another until the next thing you know an hour has slipped by. It feels like such a rare and dignified treat these days.

There’s far more photography on the internet than there is in print, but somehow (and this applies to the printed word too, for me) there’s something “purer” in browsing a magazine – or newspaper, or art book etc. – than the computer screen.

This is partly due to being a published photographer and loving to see my work in print mags but I think mostly due to the lack of distractions. Reading a decent-sized article or looking at amazing photos on the internet is the equivalent, for me, of sitting down in a cafe with the latest issue of your favorite new magazine and having a bunch of strangers start talking loudly at you, “poking” you, calling your cellphone repeatedly, jumping up and down and waving their hands in front of you, and hurling handwritten messages at your face.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not an anti-internet Luddite type. I love the fact the internet and other technologies have made photography so much more accessible and exciting. And I know, I know, I could turn the internet connection off. In fact I’ve tried, but it’s still there – humming and glowering, silently imploring me to turn it back on.

“C’mon dude,” it whispers (it has serious Californian aspirations). “Y’know I got untold visual treats for yo’ ass.”

So, no: a “non invasive” environment works way better for me when it comes to these treasured and rare moments. And it was therefore very inspiring to read the article mentioned above and realize you can still get so many great travel photography magazines delivered directly to your door, as opposed to your desktop.

Which one would you subscribe to, if the internet wasn’t keeping your eyes from the printed media prize?

Community Connection

What are your favorite print photo mags (or just mags with best photography)? Please let us know in the comments below.

How to improve your iPhone photography

Paul Sullivan — Sat, 08 May 2010 15:57:21 +0000

How many people out there are disappointed with the camera on their iPhone?

I KNOW I WAS when I bought my brand new 3GS last year. No zoom, no flash, no in camera editing options…great for fun snappy snaps but not much use for anything more ambitious.

Then I started to explore the apps a little, and was very happy to find a bunch dedicated to improving the phone’s native camera. I tried out as many as I could – replacement cameras editing tools, fun, novelty stuff…suddenly taking photos with the iPhone became a lot more fun.

While these tools won’t necessarily make you into a pro photographer, they can help you learn a little about how photography works and get you started on improving your composition, becoming aware of lighting and framing and other useful aspects of photography.

Below is a round up of the apps I’ve found most useful so far.

1. Replacement Cameras

2. Image Editing

3. Filters and Effects

4. For Professional Photographers

Community Connection

This is not comprehensive by any means, and new apps are appearing all the time, so please feel free to tell us your favorites in the comments below.

MatadorTV’s Travel Video Ninjas

Joshywashington — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:34:25 +0000

Every Tuesday at MatadorTV we feature a new traveler making innovative and meaningful video. We call these digital media vagabonds our Travel Video Ninjas.

Photo: R’eyes

NINJAS NEVER REST while there is footage to be shot or a fresh video to upload.

They roam the land, camera in hand, searching for their next target, moving fast and filming with impunity.

At MatadorTV we honor these creative opportunists with the title Travel Video Ninja.

This week’s ninja is Nick Vivion. Nick is a YouTube partner who has also created videos for Lonely Planet and Current TV, and has 100+ videos on YouTube. He’s traveled and filmed all over the world.

Browse Nick’s videos and learn from one of MatadorTV’s most ferocious Ninjas!

THIS PAST MONTH’S NINJAS

Lindsay Clark ~ One of the newest members of the Matador team, Lindsay was MatadorTV’s first TVN. She has a killer blog, a beefy YouTube channel chock full of travel goodness and was an STA traveler intern for 2009. Lindsay is also works as a producer for ProjectExplorer.org, a non-profit creates educational programming for classrooms.

Graham Styles ~ The fact that Graham shot and edited his travel videos on the road while traveling South America by motorcycle alone grants him Ninja status. His wit and willingness to vlog from abandoned, windswept roads keep me watching his Brainrotting travel video series.

Mark Shea ~ Mark Shea a.k.a .”The Overlander ” is a YouTube powerhouse with over 7,000 subscribers and a ton of well-crafted, informative travel vids. His specialty is video guides that allow you to “experience” a destination with a local.”

Mr. E ~ Sometimes one killer video can make you a Ninja. While Mr. E has several dozen videos on YouTube, his harrowing coverage of a Nepalese village fighting a fire is a travel video I will never forget. Mr. E shows us that shooting first and asking questions later can make for very compelling videos.

NOMINATE A TRAVEL VIDEO NINJA

Are you a Travel Video Ninja? Is there a TVN in your midst? ( FYI if you can’t see them they are probably hiding in a shadow waiting to strike!)

Shoot me an email at josh at matadornetwork.com to nominate a ninja of the week.

What’s the one skill every travel photographer needs to develop?

Paul Sullivan — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 13:45:42 +0000

Iceland. Photo by Paul Sullivan

We recently posed a question on our Facebook Fan Page: What’s the one skill every travel photographer needs to develop?

IT’S A DECEPTIVELY difficult question, since so many skills can be applied to so many situations. For example, the opportunity to take the image above, snapped during a recent trip to Iceland, came up very suddenly. I was driving with friends from the Westfjords region back to Reykjavik when the aurora borealis appeared in the sky – boom!

We were driving on a highway and had to find a place to pull over. At first I didn’t think I would be able to get a good shot since the lights were shimmering away beautifully on the other side of the road – the foreground would have been lots of nasty highway.

Then they began to appear above the farmhouse in front of us. I also thought this wasn’t such a great angle either, especially with the trucks and telegraph wires seemingly in the way. It was freezing cold outside (as it normally is when the lights appear) and I was tired after driving for several hours. We had also nearly crashed earlier on the drive after hitting some ice on the road, and a big part of me wanted to stay warm in the car and watch through the window!

But I dragged my camera and tripod out of the car and began sizing up the scene. As I did so, the lights formed a kind of halo around the truck, which suddenly seemed to create a quite nice thematic counterpoint – heavy and industrial compared to the celestial majesty of the lights – and the naked trees and farmhouse all looked suddenly quite interesting.

The main skills required for this particular shot? Overcoming laziness, fatigue or cold when an opportunity arises; making sure you always have the right equipment with you (no tripod would have meant no photo in this case); being patient, i.e. waiting for a better angle to emerge even when you don’t think there is one.

Some of these skills were already mentioned among the interesting array of replies we received on the post. We’ve listed some of our favorites below. Feel free to join in the discussion over at the page, or leave your opinion in the comments section at the bottom of the page.

*Alkis EnEspaña: “Fantasy!”

*Stephanie Diehl: “Composition”

*Isabel Clift: “No sunset shots!”

*JoAnna Haugen: “Creativity and the ability to see things in a way that tell a story in a single moment.”

*Kyle Anderson: “How to capture and convey the emotion of their environment they find themselves traveling within.”

*David Shults: “Open eyes, you just never know what you might spot.”

*Lola Akinmade: “Sharpened instincts”

*Jill Hamiltonbergowitz: “Angles!”

*Cary Dean: “Empathy”

*Alex Blackwelder” “It’s more of a characteristic, but I’d say respect.”

*Tasha Gurly: “The ability to immerse yourself in whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, without fear.”

Community Connection

Please join our Fan Page on Facebook!

For more resources, please visit our Travel Photography Focus Page.

MatadorU Travel Photography Program

Secret Google Dreams Of A Potential Travel Writer

Ian MacKenzie — Wed, 21 Apr 2010 19:56:50 +0000

What would a potential travel writer search for in Google? Watch the story to find out…

Want to actually be a travel writer (or photographer)? Check out MatadorU’s New Media School.

Travel Video Tips : Be Light on your Feet

Joshywashington — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:01:03 +0000

Being a creative opportunist means being light on your feet.

Colemen Wilson Photography

WITH A POCKET full of notes and a fully charged battery I stepped out to shoot a segment for the upcoming MatadorTV vlog.

Three blocks from the rally I heard the garbled, triumphant chants banging from building to building and the beating of drums.

My morning video plans did not involve a massive immigration reformation rally that has drawn thousands downtown to demand equality and justice for Washington’s sizable immigrant population.

But as I rounded the corner to see the crowd cheering I knew that my plans had to change.

Being a creative opportunist means being light on your feet and ready to react to the unfolding situation at the drop of a hat. Abandoning my intention of interviewing travelers at Pike Place Market I wade into the crowd to begin covering the rally.

Being prepared can only go so far. A willingness to respond critically and creatively to circumstances sets the casual travel vlogger apart from the creative opportunist.

Here is my challenge to you

Grab your camera / laptop / notebook and step out into the world with the intention to discover what it is you are suppose to interact with and be inspired by.

Look and listen, ready for anything.

A Brief Thought on Composition

Paul Sullivan — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 15:55:33 +0000

Photo By: David Bowen – freelance photography

Paul Sullivan looks at composition in travel photography.

I WAS CHECKING OUT my friend David Bowen’s website earlier today, admiring his travel and music work, and got to thinking about composition. Composition is strong in his work, and reminded me that it’s one of the most important aspects of photography in general.

It’s certainly one that, as a budding or even experienced photographer, you find yourself thinking about and experimenting with a lot. A technically “perfect” photo can easily be ruined by bad composition; conversely, it can be dramatically improved with a little more compositional technique.

Composition is really about balance. The choice of lens, the angle you take the photo from, what you include, and what you exclude…all these are decisions are made along the way and influence the end result – your final image.

There are a lot of tips for improving composition, ranging from working the angles (changing your viewpoint), the golden Rule Of Thirds, effective cropping, making use of leading lines, foreground and depth of field, adopting a sense of scale, using frames, filling the frame and more. Some of these skills come naturally – others require practice.

All of them can help transform an average photo into a kickass one.

Community Connection

For tips on composition and other elements of travel photography, please check out Focus Guide to Travel Photography.

What tricks have you learned to get better composition? Please share with us in the comments below.

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?

Grab Matador’s Free Report 15 Publications That Pay
For Travel Photography and help accelerate your career as a photographer.

Where to Blog from Before You Die: Chefchaouen, Morocco

Joshywashington — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:30:27 +0000

Photo: Ignacio Conejo

Here’s a new bucket list: places we want to blog from before we die.

CHEFCHAOUEN: Blue-washed buildings and the Rif mountains of Northern Morocco. This is a place of tranquility. Founded in 1471, Chefchaouen was once a place of refuge for Moorish exiles from Spain and is now a growing travelers’ hub.

I’ve always wanted to blog from this place, the Berber heartland, just to experience this landscape and culture.

Between blog posts I imagine there would be hikes to neighboring villages and swims in the Mediterranean.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Where do you want to blog from before you die? Let us know in the comments.

World Press Photo Disqualification and the Use of Photoshop

Paul Sullivan — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:11:30 +0000

Paul Sullivan looks at some of the nebulous “industry standard” practices regarding photoshopping and journalism in the context of the World Press Photo contest disqualifying a recent winning entry.

Image: Michael Spencer

As reported on by the New York Times and the British Journal of Photography, last week saw the World Press Photo disqualify Stepan Rudik, one of the winners of this year’s contest, after concluding that he had digitally manipulated his work.

Rudik’s disqualified entry, called “Street fighting, Kiev, Ukraine”, was shot for the Russian news agency RIA Novosti. It had won 3rd prize in Sports Features before being ruled out.

The manipulation involved removing the foot of one of the subjects in a photo, which broke the competition rule that stated: “The content of the image must not be altered. Only retouching which conforms to the currently accepted standards in the industry is allowed.”

Rudik has announced that he is not arguing with the decision of the jury and has decided to make the original photograph public in order to save his reputation as a photographer. You can see it here.

I think it’s both savvy and brave of Rudik to face up to the WPP decision in this way, but the decision itself is interesting too, in that it gives an insight into the world of photo reportage and image correction generally.

. . .it seems not to bother the WPP jury that the photo has been cropped, desaturated, vignetted and granulated to create a vastly different image to the original (in terms of appearance, if not subject or theme). They only ruled it out on the grounds that the small portion of foot was removed.

For instance if we peek at the original, it’s in all honesty a fairly average shot. The manipulated image is much more dramatic than the original, honing in on the essence of the original scene without necessarily misrepresenting the “story” Rudik wants to tell.

Yet it raises some questions: why didn’t Rudik shoot more frames, from different angles? Why didn’t he focus in on the fighter’s hand at the time? Why didn’t he even leave the foot in the final shot, since there was so much manipulation it would have been barely noticed?

Also, it seems not to bother the WPP jury that the photo has been cropped, desaturated, vignetted and granulated to create a vastly different image to the original (in terms of appearance, if not subject or theme). They only ruled it out on the grounds that the small portion of foot was removed.

Their rules about “currently accepted standards in the industry” seem a little vague don’t they? And you have to wonder what the real difference is between, say, cropping out all the other unwanted elements in the original and taking out a few cm of errant footwear. As can be seen over at Peta Pixel, the decision has opened up a whose can of worms on issues of authenticity and photographic post-processing in general.

Community Connection

We’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter in the comments box below.

Travel Vlogger Profile: GoGalavanting

Joshywashington — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 00:39:58 +0000

Let’s take a look at some of the web’s most talented indie travel video producers.

The ladies at GoGalavanting.com are fine examples of what a indie travel video producer should be; engaging, intelligent, adventurous and consistent. For me consistency is the hallmark for a good travel vlogger, it takes a lot of hard work to churn out quality video and these gals make it look easy.

GoGalavanting’s production value is high with a focus on storytelling and getting behind the scenes to engage the environment and culture they are visiting. Here’s lookin at you ladies!

Here is a sample of GoGalavanting’s video portfolio.

Galavanting Guide to Rome, Italy

Galavanting in Taos, New Mexico

Waterfall Rappelling in La Fortuna, Costa Rica

Head to MatadorTV for the more of the best online travel videos.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

What makes a good travel vlogger? Far flung locations? Dynamic camera work? A kick ass host? Leave your opinion in the comments.

How to be More Comfortable on Camera

Joshywashington — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:45:20 +0000

Are you camera shy? Try some of these techniques to feel at ease vlogging and making travel videos.

Photo: fensterbme

WHEN David Miller suggested I do a post on this subject I thought to myself, “I’m glad I look comfortable on camera, but I don’t always feel that way.”

In fact, much of the time while I am shooting video or vlogging I am jabbering self consciously, trying take after take until I get one that I think will work. I think the trick is to appear at ease in front of the camera, which is something I am good at and you can be to.

Here are a few things I remember to feel more confident and seem more at ease while filming.

BREATHE

Sounds simple, right? Remember everything every acting coach, yoga instructor and choir master ever said to you boils down to this, breathe. Turn on the camera and let it run for a second, allow yourself to ignore the fact that you are being filmed and take a deep breath. Let it out slowly as you begin speaking using your strong, deep breath carry your words. Taking in a deep breath will feed your brain, calm you and straighten you spine, giving you better composure and more confidence.

IMAGINE

Imagine that you are bullshitting with your best friend, you’re not recording yourself on a flimsy tripod in the middle of a crowded public space. Imagine someone you are completely at ease with is standing in front of you and you are having an interesting conversation. When I am vlogging I talk to the camera like it is the cool-ass person I imagine is watching it online. Most everyone’s demeanor changes when they are on camera, mine certainly does, and it helps to remember that I am talking to my friends.

RAMBLE

Assuming you don’t have a script, don’t be afraid to let your mouth run while you work out what you want to say. You can edit in post when you go on and on about your infected rash. Don’t get me wrong, you should know what you want to say, but you may need to discover how you want to say it. That’s where the rambling comes in.

PRACTICE

You are not going to feel more comfortable making and posting videos unless you make and post videos. So sit down in front of your camera and start yakking. Give a book review, document your ferrets mating habits, talk about your travels…it really does not matter. If I am comfortable on camera ( and I never said I was ) if is due to the dozen or so theater productions I have been in, the countless hours of drama class in high school and college and certainly in large part due to the 100+ videos I have made for your online pleasure. Ya just gotta do it over and over till it ain’t no thang.

EDIT

Shoot with the knowledge that you will edit. The best way to look comfortable on camera is to exercise the power to choose your best takes and weave a video together. There are plenty of free programs to edit with. Use em, troubleshoot, experiment and become proficient until you are planning for your edits and are confident in your editing abilities.

In closing, review footage of yourself and try and eliminate weird on-camera habits. Wear something you feel good in. Give yourself permission to feel embarrassed, self conscious, stupid, spastic… and then get over it.

When I set up my camera for the last MatadorTV vlog in the middle of Pike Place Market it was crazy-busy and I was very self conscious of the people milling about. I had to work through having so much attention on me (people would watch me and run into each other, or gawk and point, looking for themselves in the viewfinder). It had to allow it to be OK to stick out, to be looked at. I had to make light of the situation and still take myself seriously.

I also had to remember when all else fails, go back to the top and take a breath.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Are you camera shy or a shameless diva? Share your camera phobias of confidence techniques in the comments.

Where to Blog from Before You Die: Dos Ojos Cavern, Mexico

Joshywashington — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:20:03 +0000

Photo:kozyndan

Here’s a new bucket list: places we want to blog from before we die.

DOS OJOS ~ One of the longest and most spectacular underwater cave systems in the world is “Two Eyes” on the Caribbean coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. The waters of Dos Ojos are clear, warm and insanely ‘inviting.’

While I can’t imagine blogging underwater (which doesn’t mean I won’t try!) exploring the likes of Dos Ojos with a waterproof camera sounds like perfect blog material.

Dos Ojos is just one of many caverns I would mind meandering through; Carlsbad caverns, the Blue Grotto, Jeita Grotto and so many others wait for bloggers and explorers alike!

Check out Caving in Japan on MatadorTV

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Have you gone caving or cave diving? Where is your favorite cave? Do you have pix, video or a blog that documents your caving adventure? We would like to see them! Share your underground experience in the comments!

Big Bolivian Sunsets: Interview with Photographer Ron Dubin

S. Peer — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 09:01:49 +0000

Ron Dubin’s book Bolivia, A Journey is among our favorite Photography Books of all time. Here’s the story.

He was ready to get away. His year had been trying: He’d moved from California to Florida, spent six weeks living in a hotel, and experienced the illness and death of his mother. He was ready for something different.

The assignment, two months of photography in Bolivia, led to Dubin’s new book, Bolivia, A Journey. A professional photographer, Dubin’s work has been featured in publications around the world. I had the opportunity to speak with him regarding his Bolivian expedition, travel photography, and his favorite shots.

Tell me about yourself. Who are you? What have you done?

I’ve been working as a photographer for four years. I’ve done primarily travel and food photography for a variety of local, regional, national and online publications. I love landscape and wildlife photography.

Besides Bolivia, I’ve shot in Peru, France, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and have traveled and worked extensively in the U.S., from covering rocket launches in Florida to surfers in California, which will be in the next book. When in Los Angeles, I shoot headshots for up and coming performers.

You admitted you knew little about Bolivia before you arrived: How did this affect the way you saw the country?

Bolivia to me, was a blank slate. I did some research once I accepted the assignment and I spent some time online looking for other people’s work to get a basic idea of what I was getting into.

Beyond that, it was let’s go and figure it out on the fly. I had a translator/guide, Daniela, who set the itinerary and took care of all the details, which meant all I had to think about was shooting. She is fantastic.

How long did it take you to adapt to your new environment?

Surprisingly, I didn’t have a problem with the altitude at all. Prior to leaving, I was sent some altitude sickness pills and started taking them two days before departing. Once I arrived in La Paz, everything was fine.

As soon as we sat down, one of the guys starts shouting over the music towards me, “Griiiiiingo.” After he tossed a few more gringos my way, the guys’ song came up and they began to sing… Air Supply…. I’m thinking to myself, “This is kind of weird.”

The night I arrived, we went to dinner, then a wine bar and ended up at a place called Karaoke America, which kind of set the tone for the entire trip.

It was late and there were only a few people left in the place, among them these two rugged looking guys in three piece suits.

After they finished, they came over and sat down. They were nice enough and Daniela, her friends, and myself figured they were too drunk to worry about. The one guy kept going with the “gringos” until he finally started a question with one.

“Gringo? Do you know why this is such a great fucking city? Do you know?”

Without waiting for a response, he continued. “Because you can piss in the fucking streets, Gringo, that’s why this is such a great fucking city, Gringo.” I nodded, we laughed, and he and his friend went back to singing love songs.

So, to answer your question, it took about six hours. I had a harder time adjusting to the altitude in Telluride.

What goes into a great travel photograph? What do you look for before pressing the shutter release?

I would say the same thing that goes into any great photograph. Does it convey a sense of place, of the environment? Does it do it in a unique way? Does it make the audience feel like they want to go there? I usually try to look for something different or unusual in addition to trying to anticipate something happening.

For instance, the cover image that I shot while we were on the Salar. It was a set shot with the Land Cruiser in the foreground, with Daniela further away, her back to the camera.

After several frames, getting what I originally envisioned, I saw another Land Cruiser coming from my right, and to me, that Land Cruiser, crossing in front of her made the difference in the image and the setup.

Your Bolivian landscape images are striking: What do you look for when setting up a landscape shot?

Thank you, that’s very nice of you to say. I try to work from the top down. I like interesting or contrasting cloud patterns combined with some central focus on the ground, a weird tree or color that stands out. I’ve been told more than once that I’m big on isolationism.

Bolivia is unique in that it has such a wide variety of terrain, from the high altitude desert mountains of Tupiza and the Altiplano to the low altitude jungles of Rurrenabaque and San Borja.

Because of the tight schedule we were on, it was really “run ‘n gun”, I didn’t really have the luxury of saying I want to be here at sunset or sunrise. I can count on one hand the number of times I even set up with my tripod, which runs counter to one of the basic tenets of landscape photography.

What tips would you give to people wanting to take better travel photos?

Shoot for yourself, first and foremost. Don’t let the camera get in the way of enjoying your trip.

It’s difficult at times to appreciate the experience with a camera pressed to your face all the time, and you’re wherever you are for the experience. Let that be your guide into what you shoot. Your overall memories will be better and your photos documenting the trip will be better because of it.

What is your favorite shot from your Bolivian expedition? What’s the story behind it?

Interesting question. Difficult, too. Strangely enough, my favorites are sorely lacking in backstory for some reason. There are several.

The market in Coroico, with the sleeping dog, underneath the pig’s head, underneath the chickens with the women talking: The photo tells the story. I was just fortunate to be able to see it and capture it. The walking tree in Tupiza was taken almost as an afterthought.

One of my favorites with some semblance of a story is the Sunset Over Sal. It was the first time I ever had difficulty shooting a sunset. I like big sunsets. I like the sun to look big and round. I needed this shot.

We were behind schedule, rushing to make up time and it was getting colder. Freezing cold. It was windy, really windy, windy enough that I was able to lean backwards with my full weight and not worry about falling over, and I’m not a small guy.

Because of the wind, I couldn’t get my tripod off the roof so trying to stabilize the camera, all 6+ pounds of it. Catching wind while trying to get the correct exposure was a lot of fun. Although salt and dust were whipping around, the altitude (3,673 meters) and lack of pollution gave me a hard time.

There was nothing to diffract the sun like the smog in L.A. or general moisture in Florida. It took me a while to get a shot that I was happy with.

What gear are you using? Did the altitude or climate affect your camera or lenses? What should someone take on an extended expedition?

I shoot Canon. The altitude wasn’t a factor and thankfully through dust, salt and rainstorms, the gear held up just fine. If you are going on a long expedition, make sure you bring everything you think you will need, and then add to it. Extra memory cards, spare batteries, and at least one portable hard drive.

As I mentioned earlier, there is such a wide variety of terrain in Bolivia, not to mention cities and towns and people that I needed to shoot. I brought everything with me. I knew that the way our schedule was, I’d really only get one bite of the apple and didn’t want to miss a shot because I was too lazy to pack a lens. I had coverage from 16mm to 400mm in my bag, along with two bodies and a P&S.

My camera bag, which I bought specifically for this assignment, sans notebook and tripod, weighed in at 27 pounds. When we were spending the night, if they had electricity, I would offload the day’s images onto the notebook and two portable drives which I kept in separate bags.

What advice would you offer to people visiting Bolivia?

Bolivia is a truly beautiful place which is off most people’s radar. Unfortunately, it’s also a country that’s in the midst of political upheaval. On the practical side, if you go, give yourself a day or two to acclimate to the altitude and take the altitude sickness pills. They make a difference. You can also chew on coca leaves (I skipped that remedy; my gums are still numb from the 80’s).

There’s an awful lot to see, places that will make you go “Wow,” but keep in mind, it’s the poorest country in South America; there’s an awful lot of things that will make you go how?

Community Connection

Dubin’s book, Bolivia, A Journey, can be purchased at blurb.com. He also maintains a website, Ron Dubin Photography.

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?

Grab Matador’s Free Report 15 Publications That Pay
For Travel Photography and help accelerate your career as a photographer.

Traveler’s Omertà: Is There No Place We Should Keep Secret?

David Page — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:22:58 +0000

Mining the Fagaras Range, Transylvanian Alps, Romania. Photo by mountain guide Iulian Cozma.

Never before has the traveler had access to so much on-the-ground, up-to-the-minute beta. Never before has travel, by the miracle of technology, been so thoroughly rid of hassle, wasted time, wasted money—and, of course, dreaded uncertainty. But with the internet now in every traveler’s palm, are we losing something essential? Are we ruining travel?

During a lull in last week’s storm we took it upon ourselves to hike up a mountain—and by hike up a mountain I mean put traction devices on our alpine touring skis and set out from our cars in a generally, then quite seriously, uphill direction for several hours, breaking trail through a thick, waist-deep accumulation of el-niño caliber snowdump, in exchange for a few minutes’ dreamlike turns on the way back down. We weren’t sure what to expect. We were the first-ever travelers to lay tracks in that newmade landscape.

Pioneering in the Sherwins. Photo by Dan Patitucci.

It was, as pro shooter Dan Patitucci had promised, hard labor. But we took turns doing the heavy lifting, with one or two proudly doing the bulk of it while the rest of us, toward the back of the line, chatted away about food and the state of publishing and such. We went up through the old-growth trees. We stayed clear the chutes on either side, so as to avoid dying a slow, horrible death by asphyxiation beneath thirty or forty feet of avalanche detritus.

On the way up I couldn’t help but re-tell an old Jack London story about breaking trail, about the guy who invests his fortune in eggs in Chicago on the notion that he will be able to sell them for a tremendous profit in the Yukon. “What he suffered on that lone trip,” wrote London, “with naught but a single blanket, an axe, and a handful of beans, is not given to ordinary mortals to know.”

This was during the Klondike Rush, just before the turn of the last century. When fresh food was worth more than gold dust, and news, like hard supplies, traveled not on the ether but overland, passed from person to person, from mortal to mortal.

“The name and fame of the man with the thousand dozen eggs began to spread through the land. Gold-seekers who made in before the freeze-up carried the news of his coming. Grizzled old-timers of Forty Mile and Circle City, sourdoughs with leathern jaws and bean-calloused stomachs, called up dream memories of chickens and green things at mention of his name. Dyea and Skaguay took an interest in his being, and questioned his progress from every man who came over the passes, while Dawson — golden, omeletless [and internetless] Dawson — fretted and worried, and waylaid every chance arrival for word of him.”

It was tough going. Being the first in over the ice that season, it fell to this unfortunate fellow (and to his dogs and Indians, whom he drove onward at gunpoint) to hammer out a trail across half a thousand miles of snowy waste. His progress was slow. Behind him, in the brief twilight at either end of the days, he would often see a trickle of campfire smoke on the horizon. He wondered why whoever it was back there didn’t just overtake him. He didn’t get it.

“How hard he worked, how much he suffered, he did not know. Being a man of the one idea, now that the idea had come, it mastered him. In the foreground of his consciousness was Dawson, in the background his thousand dozen eggs, and midway between the two his ego fluttered, striving always to draw them together to a glittering golden point.”

The golden point, of course, was the fortune he stood to make with those eggs.

I paused to catch my breath, perhaps even took a turn in the lead for a few exhausting moments before once again ceding the glory to the harder men (and woman) among us.

“Well, did he make it?” asked Patitucci.

Oh yes, he made it, I said. And when he was not far out from his destination, he finally came to understand the slow progress of those who had for all those long, dark days been following in his track. Now that word had spread back down the Chilkoot that that trail had been broken, the rush was on.

“Rasmunsen, crouching over his lonely fire, saw a motley string of sleds go by. First came the courier and the half-breed who had hauled him out from Bennett; then mail-carriers for Circle City, two sleds of them, and a mixed following of ingoing Klondikers. Dogs and men were fresh and fat, while Rasmunsen and his brutes were jaded and worn down to the skin and bone. They of the smoke wreath had travelled one day in three, resting and reserving their strength for their dash to come when broken trail was met with; while each day he had plunged and floundered forward, breaking the spirit of his dogs and robbing them of their mettle.”

There remained for poor Rasmunsen one last tragic revelation upon arrival in Dawson City—to do with his eggs and the price they might fetch—but I’ll leave it to old Jack to tell you the rest.

Starting for the Klondike. Alaska State Library.

My concern here is more to do with the onslaught of other plunderers that poured in in his wake.

At the top of the ridge the sky cleared briefly, giving us a view of the valley and the ranges beyond. Then some good orange light. Then the snow came in again.

The ride down was not much of a ride at first, the snow being too deep to gain any momentum. But then the aspect fell away and we went with it, dropping through the trees, floating, soaring, the only sound that of steel edges cutting through a pile of delicate crystals—a pile soft as goosedown and deeper underfoot than a man is tall. And the occasional hoot-hoot of our fellows through the woods.

Even before we’d made it back to our cars we came upon another skier gliding fast and easy up our hard-won skintrack.

Later that evening, Patitucci posted an entry on his very popular blog and from there it spread to Facebook and Twitter, and by the next morning the whole mountainside was fairly overrun with powderseekers. Perhaps I exaggerate. But in any case the sense of solitude and discovery that is the golden egg, as it were, of adventure travel—which we had tasted for a day—was gone.

Patitucci, whose livelihood is based on selling photographs, as mine is on selling stories, wondered if in this case he should have kept it to himself.

It’s an age-old burden for the travel writer (older and heavier than today’s ethical quandaries about who should pay the bills): like the trailbreakers of yore, you beat your way to the next great “undiscovered” village, the last “lost” culture, the ultimate “secret” beach. You write about the wonder of the place. Maybe you give it away for free on Facebook. Maybe, if you’re scrappy, or lucky, you get two bucks a word for it. But in your wake the wonder, such as it was, is gone.

The place will never be the same again.

We justify it to ourselves in various ways: This is what we do. This is what people want. If we don’t do it someone else will (and maybe we can do it better, more responsibly). If pushed up against a wall, we take the anthropological tack, or that of the museum curator: we say, hey, we’re just trying to document this stuff before it goes away—we’re saving it (even as we track it up). Oh yeah, and we need the money. And what’s wrong with change anyway?

Pave It and Paint It Green, by Rondal Partridge

“I don’t think I ever ruined Calcata,” writes David Farley in his fine essay, On the Perils of Travel Writing, confronting the effect he may have had upon a particular Italian village simply by writing about the place. “If anything, I only ruined it—or at least half of it—for one person: myself.”

And let us not forget Simon Winchester on the wounds he re-opened by sharing stories about the people of Tristan Da Cunha. “It suddenly seemed to me,” he writes, in retrospect, “that my very being on the island, and my later decision to record my impressions of that visit and the impressions of earlier visitors, had resulted in a series of entirely unintended and unanticipated consequences—consequences that were as inimical to the islanders’ contentment as if I had plundered or polluted there.”

Sicilians, surfers, fly fishermen and keepers of mythical, undiscovered hot springs have a code they call omertà, a code of silence. You don’t talk to the cops—even about your least favorite neighbors. And you don’t tell strangers about your favorite stash.

Not long ago, a fellow contributor to The New York Times wrote a nice piece in that paper about one of my favorite places on the planet. The place—a hot springs, as it happens—was no big secret; it’d been written up before; it was once a favorite of Charles Manson’s; I’d even mentioned it (briefly) in my own guidebook. Besides, if you knew what you were looking for, everything you needed to know about how to get there was on the internet.

Still, I was disappointed to see it splashed across the venerable pages of the Gray Lady. And though I’d done as much for places I cared less about, I couldn’t help but call the author on a breach of code.

“Don’t go looking for Yankee caps at the springs anytime soon,” he replied, and then went on as follows:

“When Nat Geo did that story about fifteen years ago with the enormous photo, I was horrified. “There goes the neighborhood,” I thought. It didn’t have the slightest effect on traffic. I don’t really think all the news stories that have been posted and broadcast the years since have had much effect other than reminding the National Park Service that the springs, as they stand now—and there are many people who don’t believe they should be standing now—has some mainstream support beyond the perceived “fringe element” of rednecks and stoners. National stories extolling The Way Things Are help keep things that way.”

On some level, I guess he’s right. John Muir figured he was saving Yosemite by writing about it. And of course he did save it—from mining and logging and all manner of voracious industrial plunder. But how now do we save it from the 3.9 million of us who take our bootheels to the place every year—and from those who profit by selling us eggs and popcorn along the way? Hard to say.

Again, Simon Winchester:

“Students of tourism science can and do construct elaborate theories from physics, invoking such wizards as Heisenberg and the Hawthorne effect and the status of Schrödinger’s cat to explain the complex interactions between our status as tourist-observers and the changes we prompt in the peoples and places we go off to observe. But at its base is the simple fact that in so many instances, we simply behave abroad in manners we would never permit at home: we impose, we interfere, we condescend, we breach codes, we reveal secrets. And by doing so we leave behind much more than footfalls. We leave bruised feelings, bad taste, hurt, long memories.”

So should we really just stay home, as Winchester suggests? Of course not. But as we go out into the world, as we forge new paths to newmade places—or places new to us, anyway—it seems worth considering which part of our experiences we ought share with our fellows. And which, perhaps, we ought keep to ourselves.

3 Videos for Photography Inspiration

Joshywashington — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:44:18 +0000

These vids made us want to grab our cameras.

Ho Chi Minh Portraits from Todd Brown on Vimeo.

Street Portrait Photo How To from Joe Bloggs on Vimeo.

MOMENTARY STATES from Dave Mitchell on Vimeo.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

What inspires you to shoot photos or video? Landscapes, people, action shots or still life? Share your shutterbug stoke in the comments below.

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?

Grab Matador’s Free Report 15 Publications That Pay
For Travel Photography and help accelerate your career as a photographer.

Where to Blog from Before You Die: Carnival in Rio de Janeiro

Joshywashington — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 22:33:05 +0000

Photo: dubiella

Here’s a new bucket list: places we want to blog from before we die.

CARNIVAL ~ just the word summons visions of otherworldly floats and sparkling, feather-clad Brazilian beauties. Considered one of the greatest festivals and spectacles on Earth, Carnival holds my fascination firmly by the neck.

What traveler hasn’t imagined themselves surrounded by the famed samba schools who compete with pomp and splendor for top honors?

As a blogger, video junkie and shutter bug, Carnival represents the ultimate kid-in-a-candy-store travel fantasy.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Have you experienced Carnival? Do you have a blog (or pix or video) to show for it? Where else do you want to visit and write about before you kick the bucket?

Notes on a Saigon Motorcycle Pimp

Joshywashington — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 18:45:42 +0000

Photo: mknobil

With no Tesol, no plan and no clue, Josh moves through Saigon to find a job teaching English.

I STEP from my permanent residence at the MiMi guesthouse in District 1 of Saigon and for once I greet the endless propositions for a ride from the loafing motorbike men with a hearty ‘Youbetcha’!

THE NEGOTIATION

“How much for an hour?”

“50 thousand Dong.”

“You’re crazy, 20 thousand.”

we feign hurt feelings and squint at each other

“40 thousand, good price. Let’s go now, thank you, OK?”

“30 thousand, let’s go, I got English to teach!”

And were gone.

Through the delirium of traffic we scoot, merging and negotiating the manic flow of motor bikes. He doesn’t seem to know where he is going. The city is a nightmare of urban development, but I expect more out of a man who does this for a living. This is before I have my dedicated driver, Joseph, before I rent my own bike and certainly before I crash it. The city still feels huge, which it should, and a grin is pasted across my face.

The first school is deserted. The next place is closed. The next is full up. There are over 400 language schools in Ho Chi Minh City, there are bound to be plenty of schools who are just a little bit desperate for my services.

Each time I dismount the motorbike to proposition another school with my resume (the resume is a hastily concocted exercise in bullshit) I clap the driver on the shoulder like he’s my best mate and I say,

“Be right back, wish me luck!”

He’s probably getting sick of that. But he should be glad I haven’t fired him yet. He has spent more time circling, head scratching and map checking than driving. Approaching the door of the primary school I flatten my wind wild hair.

The English school is run by the Turkish government. The headmaster is a short hairy man that says I can start the following day, teaching twice a week.

We haven’t visited half of the schools on my list when my driver answers his cell phone and hands it to me. The driver looks stricken with angst. A snarl of broken Vietnamese gibberish and decidedly English cursing squawks from the phone then *click. The driver pulls a U-turn and heads back the way we started.

“Sorry, sorry mister!” He shakes the cell phone, which is ringing once more.

“Hey! Wrong way…where are we going? What the hell!?”

We pull up to where we started and a gargantuan African man comes bearing down on us before we even come to a stop. My driver hops off as the Goliath in the Bad Hawaiian Shirt begins to bellow.

“Where the fuck have you been! What did I tell you? Huh, huh? Off that bike, gimme the fucking money, how much you got?”

My one time driver is groveling in Vietnamese and English. He is rummaging through his pockets with his head hanging like a wet sack and I’m still sitting on the bike, looking very much like little Jack Horner. A few dollars fall into the black man’s palm and driver sulks away.

Slap my ass. Saigon motorcycle pimp… looks like my rides over.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Do you have a funny story about teaching English abroad? What about horror stories? What was the hardest / easiest thing about teaching English in a foreign country? Share your experiences in the comments!

Notes on Longing to Travel

Joshywashington — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 17:12:59 +0000

Photo: donricardopezzano

For Joshywashington, the longing to travel is reaching pain-inducing levels.

MY ADULT LIFE has been largely defined by my travels. Travel, I’ve found, is what I do best. Whether it is through Washington’s forests or the jungles of Laos, I am happiest and at my most creative when I am traveling.

But now, two years since the last stamp has dried on my passport I pace the room with a melancholy restlessness. It feels like nebulous grieving. The turning of the decade set my desire to get lost somewhere, anywhere, snapping photos, climbing trees, blogging and drinking with locals.

First the longing made me angry. This is bullshit! I protested, I am traveler, not some laptop jockey on a coffee binge! Depression followed anger, moping. Slack faced I pitied myself and riffled through old travel journals and scrapbooks. Digging through my closet, I pull out backpacks, pocket knives and dog-eared phrase books, surrounding myself with the stuff of travel.

Today the sun breaks the monotonous Seattle cloud cover. As I set my feet to soggy pavement something about steam rising off 1st avenue prods me to shed the travel doldrums.

I can still travel. I am traveling, right now. I don’t have to leave the hemisphere or a national boundary (it would nice), I just have to leave my preconceived notions of what travel is and isn’t and step out with traveler’s eyes. There is a strong argument for local travel and god knows I have much to discover about Seattle and the rivers that flow from mountains in three directions.

A feeling this strong can be a very powerful agent for action. But I had to run through these emotions to reach a place of resolve. The longing is still there, stronger than ever. But now I claim it and wait with bags packed.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

How long has it been since you last traveled? How do you deal with the longing to travel? Share your experience in comments please.

Where to Blog from Before You Die: Easter Island

Joshywashington — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:00:45 +0000

Here’s a new bucket list: places we want to blog from before we die.

Photo : HotuMatua

I HAVE a special fascination with Easter Island; the gigantic, solemn, stone face sentinels fire up my travel blog impulse. To wander the island, snapping photos, shooting video and writing in the shade of the silent giants is high on my travelers bucket list.

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Is Easter Island on your travel blog radar? Where else do you want to visit and write about before it’s all over?

Montana Road Trip : Glacier National Park, Ranger Climate Change Interview

Joshywashington — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 16:35:21 +0000

Will global warming melt Montana’s signature glaciers? Yes. Joshua Johnson interviews Glacier National Park Ranger Matt Graves on climate change and the future Glacier.

ON THE FINAL LEG of our road trip through Montana my brother Dustin and I find Glacier National Park under a heavy fog that canvasses Lake MacDonald and obscures the peaks. Fog and drizzle turn to heavy snow as we attempt to hike Gunsight Mountain. Several miles above snowline we turn back as whiteout conditions have set in.

Is this what global warming looks like? It seems so, suggests Ranger Matt Graves as we step from park headquarters to stroll among the evergreens that fringe the long shores of Lake MacDonald.

As we walk, Ranger Graves tells me of the 12 National Parks he has served in and the creeping threat that endangers them all. Climate change, he tells me, looking to the snow swathed peaks, is a slow menace that has already begun to change the biospheres of Glacier as the snowfields recede year after year.

ENJOY THIS ROAD TRIP MONTANA VIDEO : A LOOK AT GLACIER & AN INTERVIEW WITH RANGER GRAVES

Graves says that even though the glaciers will indeed melt we must not lose hope in our ability to face the climate crises. We must give people hope, he tells me. Apathy and hopelessness have no place in times where action and tenacity are necessary. To Ranger Graves the question is not of our ability to face the climate crises, it is of our will to accept the challenge.

More Road Trip Montana Videos:
Montana Road Trip: Heading to Yellowstone
Montana Road Trip: Yellowstone
Notes from the Road: To move under the Big Sky

COMMUNITY CONNECTION

Do you believe we have the will to collectively face the climate crises? What do you believe we must sacrifice to best preserve our Home? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

Transitions Abroad Travel Writing Contest : Last Chance to Submit

Joshywashington — Sat, 26 Dec 2009 14:38:22 +0000

You have little more than one week to enter the annual Transitions Abroad travel writing contest.

Photo : Ronn Ashore

TRANSITIONS ABROAD Narrative Travel Writing Contest deadline for submissions is Jan. 2, 2010.

Transitions Abroad is focused on educational, responsible and culturally rich travel. Your piece should reflect what you have learned from native peoples and their cultures - and how you have put your new awareness and empathy into action.

Your ORIGINAL UNPUBLISHED story should be between 1,000-3,000 words. The winner brings home $500, second-place grabs $150, and third-place gets $100. Any other articles selected as runner-ups will get $50.

Include a short BIO with your links. Any photos that enhance your story are welcome.

For all the fine print and submission guidelines visit Transitions Abroad.

How to Create a Photomotion Video

Joshywashington — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:02:47 +0000

Your love of photography meets your love of video in the form of photomotion. String hundreds of photos together in a video to create a unique visual style and a new way of conceptualizing your travel photos.

Image: B. Sandman

Creating a photo montage is a wonderful way to creatively use photographs to tell a story. But to create a photomotion video (also called stop motion) you need a little planning to capture successive images to convey movement through static images.

Import and string together the photos in your editing software. Shown quickly and in succession the impression of animated movement is impressive and whimsical. There are many ways you can use this technique to create killer video experience with an everyday camera.

As an example I have created my own photomotion video for you to enjoy. It is the result of snapping over 500 photos over several hours with my wife in downtown Seattle.

MY PHOTO-MOTION VIDEO

STEP 1 : HAVE A PLAN

Brainstorm what your story is and where you want to go. Pick interesting actions and locations to photograph and get creative with what motion you can convey with photos. You may plan movements or shoot the action as it naturally unfolds, it’s up to you. Planning your movements gives you more control over the end video but capturing the natural movement of a place is very interesting as well.

STEP 2 : CAPTURE MOVEMENT

What is special about photomotion videos is the illusion of movement. By snapping several pictures within the span of a second or two you may capture the
movement of your subject. Whether it is soccer players or sidewinders, when the photos are displayed quickly, one after the other, the images come alive.

The easiest way to capture the images you need is to use a sequential photo setting on your camera. These settings allow the shutter open and close quickly by simply holding down the button.

If your camera does not have a sequential photo setting then you are going to need a little more patience and planning. Take pictures of yourself and anything else that moves, and think cinematically.

STEP 3 : TAKE TONS ‘O PICTURES

This type of photo concept takes lots of pictures to pull off so don’t be afraid to shoot like crazy. You always discard the photos you don’t use. The more images you capture the more colorful video you may produce.

STEP 4 : EDIT FOR MAXIMUM COOL

Once you have your photos shot, use your video editing software to present them in a fun and energetic way. The shorter the duration of each photo, the more movement you will be able to convey. I present each photo in my video for .2 seconds.

Play around with different speeds and find something that feels right to you. Craft your video using the most interesting photos and sequences to form some sort of story and utilize music to set the pace and feel of your video.

HERE ARE A FEW MORE KILLER PHOTO-MOTION VIDEOS, YUM!

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?

Grab Matador’s Free Report 15 Publications That Pay
For Travel Photography and help accelerate your career as a photographer.



Tips for Travel Video : Shoot good B-roll! (and lots of it)
Joshywashington — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:41:53 +0000
B-roll footage is your best friend. It can cover mistakes, give you more options when editing, set the scene and forward the story.

Photo : Thomas Hawk
The term “B-roll” refers to footage that adds meaning to a sequence or disguises the elimination of unwanted footage.  
B-roll is not your primary footage, it supports and establishes visual evidence for what the speaker or narrator is referring to and sets the scene in which the story unfolds.
If the speaker is commenting on the wealth of fresh local produce, the B-roll would probably include shots of people shopping for fruits and veggies at farmers market. 
B-roll is usually not scripted but is discovered. It is improvisational. You must develop an eye for it. Understand what story you want to tell and look for people and actions that will bring the viewer deeper into that story.  
WATCH THIS VIDEO AND NOTICE THE GOOD USE OF B-ROLL FOOTAGE


B-roll can be captured after your primary footage has been shot and reviewed. For instance, in an interview you may hear something that compels you to capture more visual evidence to enrich the story. You would then shoot B-roll footage that supports the speaker and cutaway during the interview to your B-roll, placing the narrative audio over the footage.
B-roll is not only a storytelling device, it is also your band aid. Cutaway to B-roll footage to hide a zoom, cover verbal or visual tics and to add life to a interview that may otherwise not be visually compelling.  
OTHER NOTES ON B-ROLL
In order to have B-roll, you must have A-roll footage, or footage that is your narrative thrust. 
Shoot lots of B-roll. Especially if you are traveling and will likely not see your location again soon. You don’t have to use it and you never know what footage will come in handy to illustrate a point or provide further evidence for your narrative.
Shoot your B-roll from different angles and perspectives. Close ups, pans, ground level, over head…when capturing B-roll cover your bases.
It should be noted that many travel videos consist only of B-roll. These are usually montages and have no real narrative thread. Go beyond the basic travel music montage and develop a narrative thread while you chronicle your adventures. The result will be a much richer and rewarding travel video.
 COMMUNITY CONNECTION


Other posts you may enjoy…



Tips for Travel Video: Use Voice Over To Tell Your Story
4 Easy Tips for Shooting Better Travel Videos



WITNESS Video Tips: Filming, Audio & Using Cellphones



Use Hemingway to Improve Your Travel Writing
N. Chrystine Olson — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 17:51:54 +0000
How Hemingway’s lean prose can help Travel Writers.

Photo by Jenny Williams

Hemingway’s Iceberg Model
In Death in the Afternoon, Ernest Hemingway states good writing is like an iceberg, only 1/8ths visible, the remaining 7/8ths underwater. In other words, a well crafted story lets the reader’s imagination take over. 
One of the goals of travel writing is to put readers in the places we describe and have them come away feeling as if they were really there. In a time when many travel writing markets are online and attention spans are short, Hemingway’s Iceberg model still works better than ever.  
Here are eight ways to avoid exposing the entire iceberg, global warming be damned:
1 – The universe likes action. It also likes speed. Use a variety of verbs, keeping “is” in any tense to a minimum.
Editing exercise: Try going through your manuscript and cutting or rephrasing every to-be verb. Example: Whole iceberg: He is an old man. 7/8ths: He bent over the cane, and shuffled forward, a step at a time.


2 – Easy on the articles and personal pronouns. 



Editing exercise: Go through your manuscript and cut out every the, an, a, that you can. 
3 – Use the first person narrative like salt. It should enhance the story’s flavor without overwhelming it. 
Editing exercise:  Pick out anywhere in your story where the first-person narrative runs wild, then question: “Does all of this really belong here, or is it part of a different story?” 
4 – Pick your adjectives carefully. One brilliant descriptor equals three mediocre ones.


5 – The perfect noun will help with adjective selection. Same goes for verbs and adverbs. 
Editing exercise: Research the subject of your story until you fully understand the precise nouns, verbs, and adjectives. Is it a sailboat or a sloop? And when it capsized, were you tacking  or jibing? Are the waves mushy or hollow? Go back through your manuscript and replace general words with the perfect ones.
6 – Use photos, music, and other sensory tools to help communicate the essence of what you’re writing about.



7 – Remember you are telling a story. Read it out loud. If it feels awkward, bring out the editorial scissors. Probably 75%  of the original draft can be cut without losing the narrative flow.
8- Use description to convey emotions. This is also known as the object correlative. Check here   for more details.  
Examples from Real Life
In a book review I recently wrote on The Soul of the Rhino by Hemanta Mishra, my original draft came in at exactly 1000 words. Although interested, the environmental magazine’s editors wanted something “short and snappy”. I did not hesitate, cutting what I considered brilliant passages and segues to my own life. Four fifth’s (80%) of the text succumbed to the “Delete” key. The final version, at little over 200 words, will be in print this summer.
Conclusion
Let your knowledge and passion resonate cleanly in the sentences you create. And remember that the beauty of a story is what lies beneath, its fluid movement connected to the small part that shows.



Notes on Hiking up Mt. Rainier
Joshywashington — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 13:11:28 +0000
Once again Josh scrambles up a mountain with his brother Dustin to enjoy the view from Mt. Rainier at 10,000 ft.
Camp Muir, named for studly naturalist John Muir, sits on the Southeast flank of Mt. Rainier, some 4,500 ft from the summit. When the weather is clear the hike up the glacial fields to the popular climbers bivouac is relatively easy. 
Rainier is the tallest in the Cascade mountain range and the lesser peaks seem to lap at the slopes of the dormant stratovolcano like little waves. 

If you are day hiking to Camp Muir check the weather, pack warm clothes and make sure your camera has plenty of juice! The only thing better than a great hike on a perfectly clear day is shooting awesome video of that hike! 
Take shots from different angles and perspectives to show the change in environment and to keep your audience interested. Most importantly, be safe and have fun!
If you enjoyed this video check out our hike up Mt. St. Helens! 
 Community Connection 
 Do you have a favorite day hike? Share your suggestions and favs in the comments below.



Ed Buryn, Legendary Vagabond : The Importance of Travel
Joshywashington — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 14:13:04 +0000
 Ed Buryn speaks on the fundamental importance of travel in this new video shot by Pat the Digital Vagabond
ED BURYN, now comfortably in his 70’s, is an American legend among vagabonds and roustabouts. Artist and author, Ed is perhaps best known for Vagabonding in the USA: A Guide for Independent Travelers and Foreign Visitors. Ed is a philosopher who prefers to travel as slow and deliberate as possible.
Recently I has the honor of editing a few hours of footage shot by Pat the Digital Vagabond interviewing Ed Buryn at his California home.  Here are two videos where Ed speaks on the importance of travel. Ed speaks from a place of experiential wisdom peppered with sardonic wit. 
Ed Buryn on The Importance of Travel

The philosophies of Ed Buryn

Ed has written, edited, illustrated (art & photos), designed, and published and sold numerous books. His author’s credits include Vagabonding in Europe & North Africa, Vagabonding in the USA, and the William Blake Tarot of the Creative Imagination.
Community Connection
What voices nowadays genuinely speak to the importance of travel? Please let us know in the comments below.



How to Take Better Notes for Travel Writing
Joshywashington — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:14:19 +0000
Your trip is over and now you’re back at home and ready to finally do all the writing that you could not get to while traveling. Better hope you took good notes! 

Photo Austin Kleon
WITHOUT NOTES taken in the moment it can be hard to find the inspired words to describe your journey.
Notes jotted in the moment can be drawn upon later to revive a visceral sense of place. Your notes can remind you of emotional and circumstantial elements that were relevant to your overall experience. If taken well, they’ll be the bridge back to the moments you wish to capture in your writing.  
TAKE NOTES WITH YOUR 5 SENSES
Visual descriptors are good.  But remember to take notes with all of your senses. What does the air smell like? What is that fainter smell carried on the wind? What does the scene sound like? When eating, how does it taste? What is the texture? Since good storytelling requires a balance of showing and telling, taking notes with your 5 senses will enrich your writing once you settle in from of your computer many weeks or months after the fact.
Any one of these senses can trigger a greater recollection when you finally sit down to write.  Remembering the smell of potent, teeth-staining coffee can bring the whole sidewalk cafe scene rushing back. 
TAKE NOTES WITH YOUR EMOTIONS
Remembering how I felt, what frame of mind the circumstance put me it, is valuable information to have gathered when I sit down to write. Whether your travel experience brings elation, nostalgia, terror, or triumph, it is important to take notes in the moment to catch that emotional subtext. Those feelings can be the heart of your travel writing.
TAKE NOTES ON SPECIFICS
The name of your tour guide. The guesthouse you stumble into at 3am. The name of the street where you were pickpocketed. You don’t have to be writing a city guide to relish in the specifics of your travel experience.  Taking notes on the little details gives depth and authenticity to your writing.  
TAKE NOTES THAT ARE NOT NOTES
Photos, audio recordings, video…use whatever technology you have available to record your journey and supplement your note taking. 
COMMUNITY CONNECTION


Do you take notes to use later in your travel writing? What other tools do you use to recollect your experiences? Why not step outside and practice taking notes in your home town today?

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.



3 Ingredients for Creativity; Music, Exercise & Nature
Joshywashington — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:56:35 +0000

Photo mark sebastian
Sometimes it seems impossible to muster a creative keystroke.

That is when I fall back on my 3 ingredients;

Music, Exercise & Nature. 
Most of my ideas for stories, videos, articles and projects-yet-to-be come when I am either on my bike or running.

It is precisely when I am not at the computer, trying to think and be creative that I am able, with the help of my 3 ingredients, to get real creative work done.
MUSIC: Listening to music puts a tempo to my footfall and my racing heart. The melodies distract my thinking mind, lulling me into deeper channels of intuition and non-thought. Music is often a story and keeps me more focused on the moment at hand by active listening.  
EXERCISE: Exercise is a key component in how creative and good I feel. I go to the gym several nights a week but I prefer riding my bike around the city to plodding on a treadmill.  As I ride the landscape slips past me. Thousands of people cross my path. Infinite scenarios play themselves out. The physical toil of exercise allows my mind to exist in a simpler, more watchful state. I can release the tension that hours at the computer can build up and in this state my most productive thinking is accomplished. 
NATURE: Communing with nature, whether it is a walk in the woods or on a mountain summit, lets my creative spirit free. But living in downtown Seattle I seldom have the option of wandering through unspoiled wilderness. That’s fine. I take the term urban jungle to heart and let the city be my forest.  When I consider Man as an act of Nature then the city, with all of its pavement and neon, becomes a shifting natural landscape. Jogging through town I can watch the tides of human life ebb and flow as businessmen and transients share the sidewalk. 
I know what works for me. When I am in a steady rhythm is when my mind flies beyond me and lives a imaginative life of its own. I reminisce, I day dream and start to mull concepts over in my mind. But something tells me these ingredients can be utilized by anyone who needs a creative kick in the pants.
 COMMUNITY CONNECTION 
What are your ingredients for creativity? Share your tricks in the comments below.



New Video Series: Portrait Of A Travel Writer
Ian MacKenzie — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:28:44 +0000
What’s it really like to be a successful travel writer? Our new video series gives you the inside story.
As part of our efforts to celebrate and promote travel writing, we’ve launched a new video series offering a behind the scenes look at the life of travel writers. 
Humbly shot and directed by myself, the first profile features the gonzo travel writer and tv host Robin Esrock, wandering around his current hometown of Vancouver, BC.  
The idea is to offer a realistic take on what it means to be a travel writer: the good, the bad, and sometimes…the ugly.  Each profile is presented on behalf of MatadorU, where travel writers of all levels can advance their careers.
I hope you enjoy the video (and feel free to share far and wide!)

Do you know a travel writer who should be featured in an upcoming profile? Share your ideas in the comments!


What makes a photo tell a story?
David Miller — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 17:27:25 +0000

Feature photo and photo above by the_toe_stubber.
The pictures that draw me in always seem to have a story behind them. So the question is: what exactly makes a photograph tell a story?
FULL DISCLOSURE: I’m a total beginner when it comes to photography. I have virtually no skills. I’m totally humbled when I see someone’s work like Trey Ratcliff or Matador’s own Lola Akinmade. 
That being said, I feel like I do have an appreciation for form, composition, color, and a good idea of how to select an image for a story I’m writing or editing. Basically, I think like a writer. What I’m looking for are pictures that tell a story. This shot above is a good example. [Original photo link.] 
In trying to learn more, I thought I’d share what I like about this picture, what its narrative elements are, and then hopefully people with more skill / knowledge can add their expertise. 
1. The setting and the subject are both specific and universal.
Where is this photo taken? I’m not sure, but it’s obviously an urban environment. From the reflection in the glass it seems like the woman is in front of a store, which, if you look in the background, might be a sex shop? 
What’s important is that she’s not just ‘anywhere’, but in a specific and immediately recognizable place. This is also a key tenet of good travel writing: no matter what the storyline, the place itself is always underpinning everything. You should get (and ideally, ‘feel’) where the characters are as soon as you start reading. 
Similarly, the emotions conveyed are specific to this woman, to her style, but are also familiar and perceivable to anyone. The way she is sucking on her cigarette, the look in her eyes: all of it seems to exude lasciviousness, fearlessness (or maybe feigned fearlessness?), defiance. Because it is so universally recognizable it all invites our imagining a story.



2. Every element in the image is balanced to create an aesthetic unity. 
From the colors (the warm red of her sweater and pink bra of the woman [mannequin?] behind her, the cooler blues and greens of the wall) to the way her face in the foreground balances with the woman’s body in the background, everything seems to reinforce the overall aesthetic. 
Similarly with writing, the best stories seem to do everything at once. The description flows into the plot which flows into dialogue which flows into the narrator’s reflections. Everything is balanced. 
3. Subtle details keep leading your eye around the picture. 
Pictures that tell stories make you want to keep looking at them and imagining more. The more I look at this image, the more I notice things like:


She has one ear covered and one exposed.

You see almost none of her body in the picture, whereas the model in the background is almost all body but with no face. 

Her hair looks like it hasn’t been combed very well, and she wears no makeup or jewelry. 

The best stories have subtle and unexpected details throughout (and especially at the beginning and ending) that keep us moving along and leading us in new directions, ideally, adding more depth each time we go back and read.  
Community Connection
What elements do you find in pictures that tell stories? And how can you apply this knowledge to your own photography? Please let us know in the comments below.  

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?
Grab Matador’s Free Report 15 Publications That Pay

For Travel Photography and help accelerate your career as a photographer.


How to Safely Store Your Photography
Lola Akinmade — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 12:11:30 +0000
With the advent of digital cameras and online media storage portals, hardcover albums are rapidly becoming things of the past.
NOWADAYS, sharing photos from your recent hike to Machu Picchu is as easy as emailing grandma a link to an online album. Since you probably spent hours researching and comparing different digital cameras to find your perfect fit, adequate time should be spent addressing how those photographs will be properly stored. 
Storing Digital Photographs
Digital photographs are the easiest to maintain over long periods of time. Since images are instantly written to the memory card of your camera in a digital format, transferring them to your computer is a breeze.



Photo Sharing Sites
The most popular way of storing and sharing digital photographs utilizes online photo sharing sites such as Flick’r, Kodak Gallery, Shutterfly, Snapfish, and iPhoto. Even big box pharmacies like CVS, Walgreens, and RiteAid provide online photo centers where you can access your photos after their 1-hr photo processing is complete. These sites provide everything from mass storage space to actual hard copy album printing services. Some charge minimal fees for additional storage space and guaranteed periodic backups.
Rarely do server crashes or complete loss of data occur for these photo sharing sites, however, you should not rely on their infrastructure solely for protecting your memories. Have a backup solution in mind.



External Storage Systems



Owning an external hard drive is a must for budding photographers. With storage upwards of 300 gigabytes (G) and higher and coming in ultra portable sizes as small as your palm, external hard drives are rapidly becoming the storage system of choice, and can be taken with you on your travels.  Top brands such as Western Digital’s Passport series, Iomega’s EGO series, and Seagate’s FreeAgent are just a few options out there.
CD/DVDs
Burning your photographs is a quick way of backing up your images, but the downsides to this approach include not being able to readily edit files that have been burned to disk, and limited storage space – usually 4.2 G per DVD. CDs and DVDs almost always come with protective casings, but for long term storage, make sure you keep them away from light and humidity.

Storing Hardcopy Prints


Chances are you still have a couple boxes of prints stashed away in your basement or attic. Unfortunately, both locations are some of the worst for housing photographs. Photos, especially color prints which are most prone to rapid deterioration, should be stored in the driest, coolest, and darkest spots of your house.  Even though basements tend to be very cool, they are also associated with dampness which expedites the molding process and makes your pictures stick together.
Converting your prints to digital form is the recommended first step towards longer storage lives. Once they are converted into digital formats, you can readily store them on external drives or back them up to CD/DVDs. Before you spend hours slaving over a scanner with hundreds of prints, companies such as ScanCafe and ScanDigitalprovide scanning services for a couple cents per print at resolutions as high as 4000 dots per inch (dpi).  John Owen’s article, The 24-Cent Scan, delves deeper into the world of photo scanning.
Storing Slides, Negatives and Transparencies
While visiting a friend’s family recently, we unearth boxes and boxes of slides dating back as far as 1940s. Reminiscing over memories on an old fashioned projector, I was impressed by the quality and durability of the slides. The great thing about slides is that they already come in protective covering and can be stored in safe metal, plastic, or cardboard slide boxes.
Scanning isn’t limited to prints only. Companies can also scan your negatives and transparencies, converting them into more manageable digital formats. Similar to hardcopy prints, slides, negatives, and transparencies need to be stored in cool and dry locations to stagnant the inevitable wear and tear process.

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?
Grab Matador’s Free Report 15 Publications That Pay

For Travel Photography and help accelerate your career as a photographer.



3 Stunning Portraits and What they Teach about Travel Photography
Joshywashington — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:35:36 +0000
 Travel portraits are often the most memorable and dramatic pictures you will bring home. Here we examine three portraits, each of which illustrates different techniques in travel photography.
Fill the frame.
Oftentimes the easiest way to get a striking, attention-grabbing image is to get as close as possible. Fill the frame with your subject’s face, or, as in this case, focus on a single captivating feature.
Photo : Stuck in Customs  
Provide context.
Other times, the key is keeping your distance and allowing your subject to go on about his / her activities. 
 Photo : Christian Bachellier
Capture subject’s personality.
The most engaging travel portraits reveal subtext, personality. Here we not only see the details of this stoic man’s face but also the curiosity that plays just beneath the surface.
 Photo : jonrawlinson
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
What techniques do you utilize for portraiture? Please share in the comments below.

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?
Grab Matador’s Free Report 15 Publications That Pay

For Travel Photography and help accelerate your career as a photographer.



Getty Images wants you
David Miller — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:21:57 +0000
A new group at Flickr lets you show work directly to editors at Getty Images.

Girlie_in_Sydney

FIONA MILLER posted this on  Flickr Blog yesterday and it looks like a good opportunity:
The Flickr Collection on Getty Images has been growing and growing since it launched back in March – with a princely figure of nearly 60,000 images in the collection so far. It’s no secret that there are billions of amazing photographs on Flickr, so it made perfect sense for us to find an easy way for members to suggest their own photos to be considered for the Flickr Collection on Getty Images.
Starting today you can submit a portfolio of 10 images to the Getty Images Call for Artists group, giving you an opportunity to showcase your best shots directly to the editors at Getty Images. The Getty Images creative team will regularly review the photos in the group pool, looking out for images they feel are marketable based on their industry expertise, and inviting new photographers to join the collection.
So, if you think your photos rock and are interested in being considered for the collection, join the Getty Images Call for Artists group and follow the submission guidelines or check out our updated FAQs.
-Posted by Fiona Miller

Trying to find new markets or become a successful travel photographer?
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Tips for Travel Video: Use Voice Over To Tell Your Story
Joshywashington — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:38:43 +0000
One of the best ways to make your travel video a captivating story is to add narrative through voice over ( VO). 
I CAUGHT this vid on YouTube and wanted to point out that some really solid VO can keep your audience interested and establish a narrative flow. 
Aside from being fun to watch, this travel video is an excellent example of what can make a great travel video. Notice that from the get go the VO establishes who the characters in the story are and their relationship to one another.


Also notice that interviews play a key role in telling the story of the brothers adventure. You won’t always have the camera running when something important happens. What you can do is take some establishing footage after the fact and splice it together with an interview where you describe what is not being seen. The audience has a good imagination and will fill in the gaps. 
While the footage is good, I believe what makes this video exceptional is the attention to narrative and story. A solid narrative voice can go a long way my friends.  For more video tips read Tips for Travel Video: The Elements of a Story. And don’t forget to check out MatadorTV; presenting the very best  travel videos. 



Travel Video Tips with Thomas Reissmann
Joshywashington — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:57:38 +0000
Thomas Reissmann has been shooting travel videos professionally for four years. He travels for free and wants to show you how to do the same.
Here are 4 of 157 videos Thomas has on his YouTube channel. Aside from shooting his own video, Thomas wants you to learn the techniques and gain the tools to fund your travels with video production.
How to make money with travel videos

Tutorial 1: Setting up your tripod and panning 

Tutorial 2: How to record good audio

Here is an excellent example of Thom’s work:
Adelaide to Alice Springs Outback 4WD Safari

Visit Thom’s website, Filmingholidays.com or hit him up on his YouTube channel.
COMMUNITY CONNECTION
Get your fill of travel videos with 7 Most Inspiring Travel Video Channels on YouTube then once you are filled with inspiration, edit your own footage and upload to our YouTube group!



How are writing conferences relevant to travel writers?
David Miller — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:10:00 +0000
Book Passage. Photo: ExperienceLA 
A brief Q & A with Trisha Miller on conferences for travel writers.
I’ve never been to a writing conference. I have a strong aversion to most hotels, conference rooms, food-service by Sysco™, and one person on stage talking to a big group of people sitting in chairs. 
This, of course, may or may not even be how conferences are, but it’s still how they reside in my imagination, perhaps a byproduct of OD’ing on Bar Mitzvahs as a kid. 
Either way, and all this being said, I’d totally go to a writing conference if invited to participate, or especially if I had some kind of reportorial mission to help me feel like I wasn’t just straight-up schmoozing, something I’ve never been able to do ‘effectively.’
In the meantime, with all the conference-related tweetage I’ve seen from colleagues lately, I thought I’d ask Trish Miller of Travel Writers Exchange to help line out a few quick things about writing conferences and how they pertain to travel writers.



[DM] How important is it for travel writers to attend conferences?


[TM] I definitely think that travel writers of all levels can benefit from writers conferences, but there are only a few that are really geared for “travel” writers.  The key factor is ‘what is the mix of educational content’ – which ideally should include both the print and online media – some writers conferences are only just starting to include information on digital media and aren’t very strong yet.  Primarily because they are put on by old dinosaurs of the travel writing world.


What can you actually accomplish at a writing conference?
The educational tracks will typically vary, but generally include a combination of panel discussions on both traditional and new (digital) media, and lecture style sessions featuring editors of print pubs and some large online pubs giving advice on how to get published.
One thing they don’t do is cover the very basics – they pretty much assume that if you’re there, you’re already a travel writer and just looking to find new markets, meet editors and publishers, network, and maybe pick up some new tips and tricks
I do recommend any writers conference – not just travel writers conferences – if someone is just starting out, especially if they can find a small local conference and avoid travel expenses, as they’ll get a lot out of it, but more experienced writers would be better served to attend something that actually teaches them how to transition to digital media and learn how to effectively use social networking.
What is the most relevant conference for aspiring travel writers to attend?
Book Passage Travel Writers Conference is one of the oldest and still probably the best to attend, but their Digital Media track was not as in-depth as I’d hoped it would be. I realize that it’s a new area for them, as they’ve been heavily into teaching for print pubs and book authoring, and some travel photography, until this year.  So maybe next year they will expand this track.
They did have a great lineup of very high-level award-winning editors, publishers, photographers, and literary agents on their faculty who went above and beyond with spending one-on-one time with attendees – very valuable.
I’ve been to a couple of other travel writers conferences, but they are all smaller than BP in terms of attendees, faculty, and sessions.  There is one here in Scottsdale AZ this week that I’ve attended in the past, but am skipping this year.  Too small, too expensive, not worth the investment of time or money.
I do recommend any writers conference – not just travel writers conferences – if someone is just starting out, especially if they can find a small local conference and avoid travel expenses, as they’ll get a lot out of it, but more experienced writers would be better served to attend something that actually teaches them how to transition to digital media and learn how to effectively use social networking.  That is still somewhat lacking in writer’s conferences, but well covered in other conferences like BlogWorld Expo (which I’m going to this week) and PubCon.
Community Connection
What do you think about writing conferences? What positive (or negative) experiences have you had? Am I totally ‘off’ with my ‘food service by sysco’  preconception? Please share with us in the comments below.



5 Videos from Burning Man
Joshywashington — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:12:34 +0000
Photo Scrunchleface
Joshywashington spent a week filming at Burning Man. After editing until his eyeballs were on the floor, he brings you this footage from the festival.
I had the pleasure of filming and editing videos for Black Rock TV, a new burning man “news and events” video series.  I walked out of the desert with hours of footage and after a month I have some great videos to show for it.  Please check out Black Rock TV.com and show some love!





I would love to hear what you think of the videos.  
Check out more vids at www.blackrocktv.com
Community Connection
Matador has Burning Man covered! BNT’s Best Of The Week: Burning Man Roundup, 5 Things Cities Can Learn From Burning Man, One Week in The Desert: a Burning Man Documentary.



How do you advance as a writer?
The Matador Team — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:32:10 +0000

In the end it comes down to a lot of ass to chair. Photo: Chapendra. Feature photo: The Alieness Gisela Giardano.

Matador’s editors respond to a student’s question.
One of the students enrolled in Matador U posted this question in the student forum:
What does it take to elevate yourself in the world of writing? What does it take to become an editor or to get noticed to write a guide/book?
Several Matador editors share advice based on their own experiences:
Julie Schwietert Collazo, Managing Editor; Matador Change & Matador Pulse Editor:
First, ask yourself if you *really* want to be an editor or if you *really* want to write a guidebook.
Lots of newer writers look to editorial positions and guidebook contracts as the pinnacle of professional travel writing. Both do have their perks, but you need to ask yourself some important questions. With respect to editorial positions: do you really want to be an editor? An editorial position typically involves very little writing (Matador’s somewhat of an exception, as are some other online travel publications) and lots of time spent in the slush pile, eyes rolling after you’ve read the word “paradise” for the umpteenth time. There are other tasks, too, but the bottom line is this: the job of an editor is very different from that of a writer. 
With respect to guidebook writing, you have to consider whether you really know a place deeply and whether you have the skills not just to write concisely about that place given a very rigid template, but whether you have time and money management skills, too. As you progress through the Matador U course, you’ll come across a chapter that’s specifically about guidebook gigs.
Finally, I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to take the time to become a good writer. Don’t rush to rise to the top because if you’re not ready to be there, you’ll have a much more difficult time getting back there later in your career. 
Lola Akinmade, Matador Goods, Editor:
 By leveraging other skill sets such as social networking and marketing skills, and being proactive about your work, you might catch a few eyes.
Carlo Alcos, Matador Trips Co-Editor:
Don’t underestimate the “right place, right time” scenario. While you might not have much control over that, you do have control over being ready, willing, and able to take advantage of any opportunities that come your way.
I’d submitted a few articles to Matador and was very active around the site and community — commenting on articles, responding to forum posts, commenting on other members’ blog posts. This activity was obviously noticed. It’s worth a mention that I didn’t have any ulterior motives to my involvement with the site; I just plain loved to do it and I am guessing that made itself visible.
Back to “right place, right time”. Matador just happened to be expanding operations and changing directions so they were hiring a team of editors. Bingo bango, here I am.
Hal Amen, Matador Trips Co-Editor:
[Getting noticed] is much easier in the online world that in print. Websites, blogs, and social media are accessible to everyone, and interacting through them gives you a chance to communicate one-on-one with editors.
For a year, I was as active as I could be, first within the Matador community and then on their network of themed blogs that launched in early 2008. I friended people. I read blog posts and commented. I wrote my own blog posts. I commented on articles. I submitted my own articles. I Stumbled and Dugg and tweeted Matador content. It didn’t take long before I was on the radar of multiple Matador editors, first as a community and social media contact, then a contributor, and then a member of their pool of “dream team” contributors.
Last March I got an email with the subject line of “New Role at Matador?” inviting me to come on board as co-editor of Trips. I said hell yes.
It didn’t happen overnight, but it didn’t take that long either. Choose your venue(s), put in some effort, participate, behave professionally and positively, and see what happens.
Christine Garvin, Brave New Traveler Co-Editor:
Sometimes, I like to look at this process from the “energetic” perspective, as in how much energy am I putting in to make things happen? I know it can feel pointless sometimes to send out proposal after proposal and get rejected, or worse yet, never hear anything, but I do believe there are forces at work that note that energy. And that’s when something ends up coming out of left field that you had never anticipated, like a random editor seeing your blog and asking you to write a piece. 
Tom Gates, Matador Nights Co-Editor:
My advice is to make sure you have climbed each rung on the ladder before trying to advance. I stupidly emailed a few guidebooks early on, thinking hey, I’m a hotshit writer and I like to travel, hire me.  I had nothing to my credit but blogs and they (rightly) wanted nothing to do with me. 
Now I have a portfolio of articles to show anyone who asks and that seems to go quite a bit further.  Also, remember, when somebody asks you for some of your links, MAKE SURE to think about which ones you’re sending based on who your target is. Don’t send snarky or jargon-y things to a prim, don’t send by-the-numbers pieces to somebody who has a bit of ‘tude. 
Sarah Menkedick, Matador Abroad Co-Editor:

Photo: pheaber

 Write, write, and write.  Stop spending so much time fretting about exactly where to write and when to write and how to write, and just sit down and do it.  And then go back and read, knowing that you’re going to have to cut out a lot of stuff that felt just brilliant when you first wrote it.  
Leave your work for a while and when you come back to read it again, eliminate anything – anything – that does not feel truthful.  Read the styles you want to write.  And then again, write, write and write.   
David Miller, Founding Editor of Traveler’s Notebook; Senior Editor:
Getting noticed starts with having an original writing voice and putting it out there for people to read, either by getting published or just by posting on your blog.  
David Page, Contributing Editor:
Edit yourself ruthlessly. Write it out, let loose, go crazy, but then go back with the shears and get serious. Every single word should carry its own weight (and more). Even if it’s the best sentence you’ve ever written, the clearest image, the cleverest little twist, if it doesn’t contribute to the piece, lose it. 
“Just keep writing the absolute best shit you can muster and hope that posterity will do you justice.”
Study the publication you want to write for. Know the boundaries of what they publish. Give em fresh, but don’t ask em to reinvent themselves on your behalf. 
Want to write a guidebook? Study the series you want to write for, study the market, know what’s out there and what isn’t, what sells and what doesn’t, find a hole in the catalog, fill it. Fill it perfectly. Write a proposal they can’t refuse. Be prepared to do your own promotion (gulp). If the series doesn’t exist, study the market, know what’s out there and what isn’t, what sells and what doesn’t, learn the realities of printing and distribution, advertising and (again) promotion, risk a lifetime of poverty and ignominy for what you know to be the truth—or as close as you can crawl to it anyway. 
Otherwise, just keep writing the absolute best shit you can muster and hope that posterity will do you justice. By then you’ll be over it.
Paul Sullivan, Contributing Editor:
Persistence. This writing game is full of ignored / unread emails and unanswered phone calls – for established professionals as well as for budding writers, believe it or not. It’s easy to get sensitive and think the world of editors owe you a response but the truth is: they don’t. And they’re often simply too busy to get back to people they’ve never heard of. Develop a thick skin, keep believing in your talent and learn how to be persistent without being annoying. 
It took me three years and a couple of face to face meetings to get a reply from one particular guide book publisher that I really wanted to work for – but now I work for them fairly regularly as a photographer and writer. If I had given up after the first 10 or whatever emails (at least!), I would never have realised that particular dream. Accept that bagging quality clients is a long-term task. Make a list of your faves. Find the right contacts (also incredibly important – unless you want all your emails being immediately deleted by an irrelevant and unsympathetic member of staff). Hit them regularly with professional calls/mails and fresh ideas. Be persistent. You’ll get there.
Leigh Shulman, Matador Life Editor:
Produce solid content. Know what you’re talking about and write well. Keep a blog as you’re building your portfolio. If nothing else, it gives you practice in finding your voice, style and interest.  Once you’ve done that, you’re half way there. Then, it’s a matter of being connected with the right people.
I connected to people through Twitter, Couchsurfing, high school friends, college friends. I don’t seek people out simply because of what they can do for me, though. I make honest connections by finding and following people I genuinely enjoy. I like their writing, their work, their attitudes. Over time, as you read their work and get to know them, many of the people you contact — many, although not all — will support your work as well.
How’s this for a personal anecdote: I joined Twitter about a year ago. Soon after, I ran across @collazoprojects. I loved her website, enjoyed the point of view and thought the author to be extremely intelligent and well spoken. We got to know each other through our blogs, tweets, and almost met face-to-face once, but it didn’t work out. Turns out, she’s also a Matador editor.
Then one day, I heard from another friend of mine — Vicky, a travel writer I originally met through Couchsurfing, but we connected on Twitter as well. She sent me a link to Matador’s job posting for a contribuing editor. I immediately conacted @collazoprojects to let her know about it, hoping she might have some advice or input. Next thing I know, David, the senior editor e-mails me, asking me to apply. He’d seen my blog on Julie’s recommendation.
Less than a week later, here I am, new editor of Matador Life.
Beyond that. Be patient. And be yourself. Few things happen overnight, but if you’re diligent, keep writing, keep meeting people, you’ll find yourself where you want to be faster than you believed.
Community Connection:
What questions do you have for the Matador editors? Submit a question below and it might just be answered in a future article. 



This is my City
Paul Sullivan — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:33:29 +0000

Thomas and Tim seek to revolutionize the concept of travel media, one local at a time.
Thomas is Irish. Tim is American. They’re leaving their lives in New York City to travel the globe and make a travel show about how the rest of the urban world lives.

No guidebooks. No tourist traps. No all-inclusive resorts.
Instead, they’ve made contact with one local, a complete stranger, who wants to show them what life is really like in their city. It could be amazing. It could be a disaster. But that’s the only way they want to travel. 
[P.S.] This Is My City sounds like the kind of project you might dream up if you wanted to spend a year having a great deal of fun, travel the world and perhaps get paid along the way. But how did the idea come about?
This idea was in fact part of a carefully planned scheme to escape the day job, have a great deal of fun, travel the world and also create something in the process. We had both traveled quite a bit and we realized that we always found ourselves in the most interesting and memorable situations when we made an effort to engage with locals and get to know them. We felt that this was a way of traveling that we wanted to do more of and also something we wanted to promote. And that’s how the show was born. 
Is the series fueled by a dislike / disillusionment of guidebooks?
You know guidebooks definitely have their uses. They can be really informative and genuinely helpful at times. We’ll be carrying Lonely Planet Japan around with us and we’re not ashamed of that. But guidebooks also have their limitations and we are a little disillusioned with most of the travel shows out there. Locals aren’t usually the ones writing guidebooks or hosting travel shows and we see this as a mistake. So our show puts the local first. 
What made you include the “we can’t say no” rule? And aren’t you secretly worried that some Jackass enthusiast might make you snort wasabi or take your clothes off in a snowstorm? 
Our ‘don’t say no’ rule was born out of a moment in Reykjavik when for no good reason we were attempting to turn down the gay shaman seven-hour sweating ritual that our host Vidar was proposing to us. He was insistent though and seven hours later, physically and spiritually reborn, we made a pact to never say ‘no’ on this show again. Exposing yourself to local customs and really getting into the way of life might make you uncomfortable. But being a little uncomfortable is not a bad thing. Our rule isn’t about being stupid or reckless, it’s about being always open. If snorting wasabi naked in a snowstorm is something that the locals actually do, we’re up for it. 
How come you did Reykjavik first – and how did you find a star like Vidar? 
Reykjavik was somewhere we both had always wanted to go and it had the advantage of being close to New York but also extremely foreign. Then of course it also has the culture, style, music and ice going for it. We knew one or two people in Iceland and thankfully everyone in Iceland knows everyone else in Iceland. And we got very lucky with Vidar. He was a legend for the part. 
Watch the pilot episode for This Is My City. I highly recommend it!


What’s your M.O. when working on your shows. Is there a casting process? What kind of character are you looking for, in a nutshell – and how do you know when you’ve found them? 
To find our local hosts, we cast a really wide net and hope for the best. We contact friends, friends of friends as well as complete strangers. We approach bands, artists, writers and talk to everyone we meet about where we’re going and who they know. It’s like six degrees of separation applied to place. Once we have a potential host, we get a rough itinerary and start a conversation with them. The motive to be a host needs to come from a sincere love of the city in question and a desire to share that with the world. Strange is also good. When our Belgrade hopeful said he would be bringing us to a ZZ Top gig followed by a massive party on a raft, we knew we had our man.  
Which countries have you got lined up next, and why have you chosen these places specifically? 
We’re taking off on a trip that will hit twelve cities in all five continents. Our first production leg will bring us to eight cites over three months visiting places like Berlin, Beirut, Osaka and Melbourne. The second leg will bring us to Bogota, Mexico City and Detroit amongst others. The show won’t just profile capitals and ‘great’ cities, which has been done too many times before. We want to visit second cities as well as the odd huge chaotic metropolis – contrast is key for an entertaining season. Our philosophy is that you can have a spectacular time anywhere; be it Michigan or Brazil. In fact we think that less obvious destinations will entice more in the way of magic. 
What have been the major obstacles so far? 
Well we’re still looking for an Osaka host and apparently security detail is going to be required in Serbia but the major obstacles begin when we hit the road. We’re expecting travel disasters and language barriers and culture shock and boredom and God knows what else because this show is about traveling for real. It’s not pretense and it’s not setup. And we won’t be trying to hide the bad times or the obstacles. Everything that happens on this trip will make it into the show. 
What are the most ridiculous or memorable situations you’ve encountered so far? 
There are always things that you can’t capture quite as well as you’d like and one thing about Reykjavik that probably doesn’t come across in the pilot is the physicality of the people there. In bars and clubs, people actually walk through you. They barge, they push, they spill drinks, they take your drinks and they literally move you out of the way if they feel like it. Without asking. As Vidar explained to us, it’s like one big family of hunters there. And that was very different and very cool. 

How much spontaneity or “on-the-flyness” is involved? 
This show is 100% spontaneous. Seriously. The only prep is choosing our host and once we have them we’re in their hands. We arrive, we make a phone call and then we assume our enthusiastic guinea pig positions. Also, we have very small and unobtrusive HD cameras, no lights and no crew except for one local producer. So we really are on-the-fly and spontaneous because we’re trying to make a real show here and not a reality show. 
How long does it take to complete a show, from beginning to end? 
It takes about four weeks to complete a show from beginning to end. Rather than edit on the road, we’re traveling and shooting in big chunks and then doing post when we return. We’re a two-man production team: Thomas produces; Tim edits; we both shoot; we’re both in it. It’s really stripped down, which is something you can do these days because of the technology available. We’ve had to master the art of filming while intoxicated but even that’s possible with the correct training. 
In that sense, this is kind of a guerilla show. Do you think that’s the way forward for video / film entertainment shows (travel, music etc)? 
This is a guerilla show yes but the production model is determined by the content we’re looking for. The reason we’re guerilla is because we want to be intimate and personal and we aspire to being real in a way that makes you feel like you’re actually there with us, experiencing the city. The film industry and its accompanying apparatus are there because you really do need them to make a film. Documentary approaches on the other hand are always being widened by advancements in technology.  
How long do you plan to be on the road for? 
We’re shooting a 12-episode season and taking a week in each place. We’ll be doing it in two legs with minimal breaks. It’s essentially back-to-back shows, which is going to be interesting. It’s definitely going to take years off our lives. 
How are you funding the trip? 
We have some independent backing for the first season of the show but our approach is extremely low budget until a giant network swoops in and drowns us in cash. We don’t have a syndication deal yet (hello Mr. and Mrs. network executive readers) but we’d like this show to reach a global audience and we think that TV is the best medium for it. For now, you can follow our trip on www.thisismycity.tv and stay tuned for news and developments. 
You both have fairly high profile backgrounds in video & film. Would you say this is helpful or indispensable?  
We think it’s amazing that you can pick up a cheap camera and shoot broadcast-quality video. Kids are doing it all the time now and it’s definitely the way forward for a whole new generation of DIY content. That said, our experience and our backgrounds have been an asset when it comes to bringing footage, music, narrative and nonsense together to make a relatively polished final product. 
Become a host on This Is My City
This Is My City is still looking for hosts in Beirut, Osaka, and Melbourne. For the second leg of their journey Thomas and Tim are going to be looking for hosts in Sao Paulo, Bogota, Mexico City, Memphis and Detroit. Interested? Contact This Is My City: thomas@thisismycity.tv



MatadorU Twitter Contest Winner!!
David Miller — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 18:41:17 +0000
Congratulations to Susan aka @elasticfate for winning the first-ever MatadorU Twitter Contest.
It was impossible picking a winner for this. There were over a hundred entries, almost all of which were from folks who would be great prospective students at MatadorU. 
In the end I took the 10 most promising entries, wrote down the names on slips of paper, and then my daughter Layla helped me choose at random. Here’s a video:

Susan wins a free tuition to MatadorU . Here was her entry from the original contest announcement: 
@elasticfate
I’ve got gypsy in my blood.
My parents immigrated to America before I was born & took me on my first flight overseas to visit my family when I was 4. Since then I have not been able to shake this travel bug (Though honestly, I’ve never tried. Why would anyone want it to stop?) so I’ve been working on trying making my life as nomadic as possible so I can follow my soul’s desire to experience cultures all over the world.
I’m a photographer & blogger have been traveling across the US since February conducting what’s been the most incredible experience of my life so far:
http://rawtransformations.blogspot.com/2009/02/raw-vagabonding-community-building.html
and though I used to write a lot in the past, it’s only recently that I’ve become nomadic & began writing about my travels. The response from people has been really encouraging & since I already take photographs, I’d like to learn how to blend the two together better. It’s also been a really long time since I wrote for anyone but myself, so I feel I could really benefit from the input of professionals who know the ins & outs and could help me craft my pieces in a more cohesive manner. I’d also like to learn how (and where) to market them.
I’m already living an untraditional lifestyle, but would really like to make it more financially sustainable & pursue my passion for sharing my experiences with others.
Congratulations again Susan!
Community Connection
For those interested in learning more about the U, please visit the school here, or listen to this podcast, which really gets into the background of the school itself, the vision behind it, and who the teachers are.  



Graphophobia: The Fear of Writing
Joshywashington — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 20:27:59 +0000


Photo Tiago Rïbeiro
Blank page paralysis. Curse of the pulsing cursor. Together we will confront graphophobia, the fear of writing.
It’s time to write. I wait for an image, a phrase, some remembered thing to jerk my hands against the keys but nothing comes. My palms itch, I try to sip from an empty coffee cup and curse at the lawnmower across the street that growls like a dog munching on my gray matter. I suddenly know I will never eke out anything worth skimming over, let alone reading again.
I suck.
In utter loneliness a writer tries to explain the inexplicable.

- John Steinbeck
Do you ever ask yourself  ‘am I good enough? Do I have anything worthwhile to say?  Will people like my writing? Will people read my writing?’
The great Peruvian poet, César Vallejo, in the first quatrain of his sonnet “Intensidad y altura” wrote:  
I want to write, but it comes out foam,

 I want to say a great deal, but I get stuck; 

There’s no spoken cipher that’s not a sum, 

No written pyramid without a core.
Every writer grapples with graphophobia. You are attempting creativity and honesty in one careful motion. It’s like marching into a jungle with a half full canteen and no compass. You don’t know where you are going or what you will meet.
This is the solace: we come to this place, as writers, together. We name the fear, we pin it down with pens and move on, further into that dark jungle, happy for the fear and danger. The fear tells us we are moving closer to the place we want to be. 
Writing is easy, you just stare at a blank screen until your eyes bleed.

-Douglas Adams
Across the street the lawn mower hits a rock but grinds forward. 
Community Connection
Do you struggle with graphophobia and writers block? What does it feel like? What exercises do you use to overcome these struggles? Share your experiences in the comments.

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and join a solid community of writers dedicated to their craft.



The History of the Internet
Joshywashington — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 11:33:29 +0000
The Internet: we couldn’t live without it….But how did it begin? Find out in this short animation.


 What is your first memory of the internet? Holler at me if you thought computers were only for “Oregon Trail”!



Your Favorite Book is Your BFF
Joshywashington — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:55:47 +0000


Photo: Markus Rödder
 Use your favorite book as a source to stay stoked.
Every reader, certainly every writer, has their book. Your book is not simply your favorite story, but your source of literary inspiration, your measure of what can be achieved by a writer. Reading it for the first time is something as remembered as when you lost your travel virginity. 
My Book is John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath. This novel influenced the course of world literature and my life. Reading it moved something within me that no other book has. It knuckled me up for a fight and got my fingers flying. It gave me a context for the great literary tradition of social action, and it planted the seed within me to try to flesh out a few words of my own.  
When unsure about my writing, my life, I go back to my book. What is your book? Where were you when you read it? What happened?  Please tell us about it in the comments below. What is it about your book that keeps it numero uno?
Community Connection
Find more reads at BNT’s 50 Greatest Travel Books Of All Time.



11 Magazines, Journals, and Blogs Every Travel Writer Should Know About
David Miller — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 22:21:42 +0000

A roundup of online and print publications you should be peeping, and why. 
Travel writing tends to get pigeonholed. You rarely find anything on it–from literary criticism to reviews of prominent or up and coming writers–outside of the same small group of online publications. 
This is due partly to the sense that travel writing is often storytelling or language commodified, writing corrupted by marketing, which unfortunately is an on-point assessment in many cases. 
Getting dozens of submission each week filled with salesman-y language makes me wonder what people are reading, but then coming across a New York Times travel section with the same cliches (here are some today: “Handsome beaches, bohemian design and youthful chaos”) answers my question.
One thing we’ve always believed at Matador is that travel writing should be an open and creative, ultimately literary form. Its only real requirement is that it’s based on faithful reporting, that the author doesn’t make anything up. And it should also give the reader a strong sense of place. In other words, the setting itself is almost like another character. 
With that definition in mind, I wanted to share some of my favorite sites, magazines, and blogs, all of which publish, analyze, or at least touch on writing that has these elements, writing that goes by different names – “narrative nonfiction,” “creative nonfiction,” “literary nonfiction,” “place-based writing”- but is essentially “travel writing” even if it’s not recognized as such. 
Internet Magazines
These are general magazines on literary criticism / writing, but not publishers: 
1. HTML GIANT 
HTML GIANT’s tagline is “the internet literature blog of the future.” Those who take themselves and their writing very seriously might reject this magazine ‘on its face’ (there are lots of f-bombs and an occasional crotch or breast shot couched as self-effacing promotion or “venturing into art”), but I haven’t found anywhere on the web with more vibrant and hilarious discussions on writing, authors, form, and just about anything. 
Last week there was a post on Joyce that had almost 350 comments, many of them spontaneously written mini-essays that could’ve stood alone as posts on literary criticism and writing. 
2. Pank Magazine’s Blog
Pank Blog  self defines: “PANK inhabits its contradictions.” Some really good discussion, voices, and they also have their own magazine / publication. 
3. New Pages 
New Pages: “News, information and guides to independent bookstores, independent publishers, literary magazines, alternative periodicals, independent record labels, alternative newsweeklies and more.” Their blog has great posts on authors, new releases, contests, grants, and more. 
Literary Journals
These are places that publish–albeit under a different label–travel writing:
4. Memoir
Memoir is pushing all kinds of new forms of writing that have to do with memory. 
5. 4th Genre 
4th Genre writes: “We invite you to experience Fourth Genre: Explorations in Nonfiction, a journal devoted to publishing notable, innovative work in nonfiction. The title reflects our intention to give nonfiction its due as a literary genre—to give writers of the fourth genre a showcase for their work and to give our readers a place to find the liveliest and most creative works in the form.”
6. Words Without Borders



Words Without Borders  “opens doors to international exchange through translation, publication, and promotion of the world’s best writing.” Just getting into this publication–seems really strong. 
7. Camas
Camas is the literary magazine based out of University of Montana’s writing program. Former contributors include Matadorians Teresa Ponikvar and Adam French. Camas publishes writing on place, with a special focus on the Rocky Mountain West. 
8. River Teeth
River Teeth is a journal dedicated to “nonfiction narrative.” The authors they quote on the homepage (Tim O’Brien), and in the About Us (David James Duncan) are two of my favorites.
9. Virginia Quarterly


Virginia Quarterly just keeps getting better. Matador’s Managing Editor Julie Schwietert notes “their focus is increasingly place-based (and outside US).”
Print Publications
These are the ‘big-time’ markets. 
10. The Sun
The Sun  gets nationwide distribution at bookstores and places like Whole Foods and seems really fresh and new even though it’s been around for 30 years. 
11. Orion 
Orion – publishes great writing with regular contributors like Rick Bass and Barry Lopez. Like The Sun it’s ad-free. 
Community Connection
These are some of the highlights. There are definitely more out there. What do you like to read?



Announcing Twitter Contest for Free Tuition at MatadorU
David Miller — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 18:16:43 +0000

Photo: dotbenjamin

Announcing a new contest where you can win free tuition to MatadorU.
Just over two weeks ago we announced the launch of Matador’s first educational component–MatadorU, a training course for writers at all levels of their careers. 
Since then we’ve had dozens of students sign up and begin the 12-week curriculum. Discussion at the forums, writer/editor communication, and social networking / promotion of students’ writing has become more vibrant and diverse every day.
Plain and simple: it’s been the most exciting development at Matador since we grew from a single community to an integrated media network.
As a way of continuing to spread the word, we’re officially launching a twitter-based contest. Each month, we’ll offer one lucky student free tuition for MatadorU’s Travel Writing Course. The rules and ways to participate are super simple.
VIEW THE CONTEST RULES AND ENTER HERE.
Good luck to everyone, and we look forward to announcing the first winner!
[UPDATE 9/24: We're officially closing entries to this contest at midnight EST on 9/24.]



Travel Photography Contests with Low or No Entry Fees
Lola Akinmade — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 14:51:33 +0000
Think you’ve got what it takes to win?


All photos by Lola Akinmade

If you’re a photographer building your online presence  and are now regularly networking with other photographers to get crucial feedback and constructive criticism on various techniques, it’s probably time to begin thinking about contests. 



Contests give you an assessment of how your photographs stack up against the competition as well as the visibility that comes with winning one.
A major downside is most competitions come with entry fees. Even well known contests from Photo District News (PDN) for professional photographers come with fees as high as $35 per photograph. 
These costs usually go towards prize payouts, communication, marketing, and other administrative tasks.
For the hobbyist, this can be downright expensive and usually deters participation. 
Other cons include rules that require photographers transfer all rights to the sponsor so always read the fine print as a few competitions may require this.
So we’ve rounded up a few popular contests that don’t require entry fees. 
Free
National Geographic’s Your Shot – Readers are invited to upload photos and every day, Photo Editor Susan Welchman picks her daily dozen. Each month, one of the submitted photos is selected for publication in the magazine – a much coveted opportunity.
Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest – Powerhouse Smithsonian runs a high visibility contest that awards winners of each category $500 with the grand prize being an all expenses paid trip.
Energizer Photo Contest – Administered by National Geographic, this is one of their free contests with the grand winner landing spots on NG Expeditions to places like Tanzania and publication in the magazine. 
Nikon Photo Contest International – Nikon has been running this free contest since 1969, providing opportunities for amateur photographers to spotlight their work. 
Sony Photo Awards – With a prize of $5000 and all expenses trip to Cannes going to the overall winner, this is another contest worth exploring.
Nothing like camera giants Nikon and Sony promoting your photography through live exhibitions and online.
Fresh M.I.L.K – A grand prize of $50,000 and no entry fees makes M.I.L.K one of the best free contests out there. 150 winners are also selected with prizes of $500 each, and all winning entries are published in one of their books with royalties doled out. This contest was launched in November 2008.
Pricey But May Be Worth It
International Photography Awards (IPA) – With a cash prize of $10,000 for the International Photographer of the Year award and $5,000 for the Discovery of the Year, this renown contest provides lots of categories and opportunities to win, but at $25 per photograph, is one of the priciest. 
National Geographic Traveler’s World In Focus Contest – With entry fees upwards of $22 per photo after the promotional deadline of $12 per photograph, winners of this contest win exciting all expenses paid trips and some nice professional grade cameras. 
Travel Photographer of the Year (TPOTY) – Usually touted as the Oscars or Emmys of Travel Photography, this may be worth considering. Keep in mind that the competition is fierce with established professional photographers usually sweeping all categories. 
Winning one of these contests can definitely boost your portfolio and speed track your budding career as a travel photographer.
Community Connection
Know of other free contests worth entering? Please share them below



Writing Fire: A Brief Anthology on the Burning of Los Angeles
David Page — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:35:42 +0000

Los Angeles on Fire. NASA/GSFC/LaRC/JPL, MISR Team

In consideration of the latest disaster to be visited upon the settlement known generally as Los Angeles, California, we look back at some of the best writing on the city’s propensity to catch fire.
Driving over the pass at Beverly Glen, riding shotgun for a friend on the way to his wedding (gulp) in Encino, we suddenly find ourselves, along with several millions of other urban denizens otherwise going about their business this blistering Saturday afternoon, confronted with the spectacular roiling plume of the now-infamous Station Fire.
The city burning is Los Angeles’s deepest image of itself… —Joan Didion
4,000+ homes and countless horses, pets and exotic animals have been evacuated. More than 60 homes have burned to their foundations. Vehicles have melted into their parking spots. 2 fire fighters are dead. The 74-year-old Vetter Fire Tower, where I once spent days above the smog, reading Kerouac’s Desolation Angels (of course), or chatting with veteran lookout Kermit Eller about his break-barrel Chinese Model 62 air rifle while surveying the advancing plague of ground squirrels, is gone.
Station Fire stats, Sept. 5, ten days in: Total Personnel: 5,244. Size: 154,655 acres. Growth Potential: High. Terrain Difficulty: Extreme. Estimated Containment Date: Tuesday September 15th, 2009 approx 06:00 PM.

Timelapse – Los Angeles Wildfire from Dan Blank on Vimeo
Music by Brian Eno.

It’s that time of the year again: wildfire season. Los Angeles is burning. Like in the Bad Religion song. 
Like it has most every year since the beginning. Like it probably will—with ever greater frequency as the planet gets hotter—until there’s nothing left to burn.
Here’s a spectacular collection of images from the latest conflagration.
Plus four more unreal timelapse videos.
And here’s a quick sampler of the classic writing to have come out of the flames (much of which (and more) has been duly anthologized in David L. Ulin’s comprehensive Writing Los Angeles: A Literary Anthology):
1. Raymond Chandler
It often begins with the wind, as Chandler wrote in his novella “Red Wind” (1938), published in the collection Trouble is My Business, also available on audio, read by Elliot Gould.
It was one of those hot dry Santa Anas that come down through the mountain passes and curl your hair and make your nerves jump and your skin itch. On nights like that every booze party ends in a fight. Meek little wives feel the edge of the carving knife and study their husbands’ necks. Anything can happen. You can even get a full glass of beer at a cocktail lounge.
2. Joan Didion
In her “Los Angeles Notebook,” published in Slouching Toward Bethlehem, Didion catalogs some of LA’s big mid-century fires: Malibu in ‘56, Bel Air in ‘61, Santa Barbara in ‘64, Watts in ‘65 (during the riots). She writes of how the San Gabriels went up in flames in November of ‘57, and again during the winter of ‘66-’67. 
In “Fire Season (1989),” from After Henry, the register expands: 80,000 acres of LA County torched in ‘68, 130,000 in ‘70, 74,000 in ‘75, 34,000 in a single week in ‘78, 60,000 in ‘79, 46,000 in ‘80, 45,000 in ‘82. “Since 1919,” she writes, “when the county began keeping records of its fires, some areas have burned eight times.”
Most years it is September or October before the Santa Ana winds start blowing down through the passes and the relative humidity drops to figures like 7 or 6 or 3 percent and the bougainvillea starts rattling in the driveway and people start watching the horizon for smoke and tuning in to another of those extreme local possibilities, in this case that of immanent devastation.
She notes the particular language of fire, the subtleties of the “burn index,” the difference between fires “controlled” and “contained,” the difference between “full” and “partial” control, “the difference between a Red Flag Alert (there will probably be a fire today) and a Red Flag Warning (there will probably be a Red Flag Alert within three days).”
She grates at the notion (handed down from the NY Times) that people who live in such country do so in flat denial. “Denial,” she writes, “is a word from a different lyric altogether.” To live in fire country is to live like this:
When the fire comes there will be no water pressure. The roof one watered all the night before will go dry in seconds. Plastic trash cans must be filled with water and wet gunny-sacks kept at hand, for smothering the sparks that blow ahead of the fire. The garden hoses must be connected and left where they can be seen. The cars must be placed in the garage, headed out. Whatever one wants to save must be placed in the cars. The lights must be left on, so that the house can be seen in the smoke.
3. Nathanael West
Day of the Locust
In his emblematic early-LA novel Day of the Locust (1939), a sensitive young painter by the name of Tod Hockett comes to Hollywood, fresh from Yale, for an easy-money gig in set and costume design. 
To escape the place, he sets himself to painting a grand opus (or to thinking about painting a grand opus) called “The Burning of Los Angeles”:
Across the top, parallel with the frame, he had drawn the burning city, a great bonfire of architectural styles… [S]pilling into the middle foreground, came the mob carrying baseball bats and torches. For the faces of its members, he was using the innumerable sketches he had made of the people who came to California to die; the cultists of all sorts, economic as well as religious, the wave, airplane and funeral preview watchers—all those poor devils who can only be stirred by the promise of miracles and then only to violence…
Watch John Schlesinger’s way-over-the-top interpretation here, from 1975, starring Donald Sutherland and Burgess Meredith.
…after the riots
there were too much differences
The fire is still there
how do you call it
(In Korean she says “igniting fire.”)
igni
igniting fire
It canuh
burst out at any time.
—Anna Deavere Smith
Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992
4. John McPhee
New Yorker writer Susan Orlean (The Orchid Thief) was in LA last week. For her, the visuals of the fire “underscored the essential absurdity of Los Angeles—a city of far too many people, perched on wobbly geology, without water, and perfectly flammable.” 
She reminded us to re-read McPhee, from The Control of Nature (also online at newyorker.com), on the ongoing battle between Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Mountains, and on the propensity of (and need for) the native vegetation to combust:
High or low—hard, soft, or mixed—all chaparral has in common an always developing, relentlessly intensifying, vital necessity to burst into flame. In a sense, chaparral consumes fire no less than fire consumes chaparral. Fire nourishes and rejuvenates the plants. There are seeds that fall into the soil, stay there indefinitely, and will not germinate except in the aftermath of fire. There are basal buds that sprout only after fire. Droughts are so long, rains so brief, that dead bits of wood and leaves scarcely decay. Instead, they accumulate, thicken, until the plant community is all but strangling in its own duff. The nutrients in the dead material are being withheld from the soil. When fire comes, it puts the nutrients back in the ground.
According to the Forest Service, the “fuels” in this part of the San Gabriels had “not experienced any significant large fire activity in the past 40 years.” It was high time. And so it goes:
Hundreds of acres can be burned clean in minutes. In thick black smoke there is wild orange flame, rising through the canyons like explosion crowns. The canyons serve as chimneys, and in minutes whole mountains are aflame, resembling volcanoes, emitting high columns of fire and smoke. The smoke can rise twenty thousand feet. A force of two thousand people may fight the fire, plus dozens of machines, including squadrons in the air. But Santa Ana firestorms are so violent that they are really beyond all effort at control. From the edge of the city upward, sixteen miles of mountain front have burned to the ridgeline in a single day.
5. Mike Davis
Ecology of Fear
One of the most thorough (and polemical) treatments of the relationship between fire and the city comes in Ecology of Fear: Los Angeles and the Imagination of Disaster (1998). Davis traces the ancient Tong Va practice of intentional seasonal burning—now considered by most experts to be the most effective way to mitigate the potentially disastrous effects of wildland fire—to a situation today in which such an approach proves impossible. 
Local fire agencies are hamstrung by the potential liability, while homeowners associations throughout the firebelt finger the trigger of litigation. 
Once again, politicians and the media have allowed the essential landuse issue—the rampant, uncontrolled proliferation of firebelt suburbs—to be camouflaged in a neutral discourse about natural hazards and public safety. But ’safety’ for the Malibu and Laguna coasts as well as hundreds of other luxury enclaves and gated hilltop suburbs is becoming one of the state’s major social expenditures, although—unlike welfare or immigration—it is almost never debated in terms of trade-offs or alternatives. The $100 million cost of mobilizing 15,000 firefighters during Halloween week 1993 may be an increasingly common entry in the public ledger. Needless to say, there is no comparable investment in the fire, toxic, or earthquake safety of inner-city communities. Instead, as in so many things, we tolerate two systems of hazard prevention, separate and unequal.
The battle against the Station Fire alone has, as of this writing, cost upwards of $80 million. In a state that is now famously on the threshold of complete financial collapse. And so it goes: the fires burn on. The city edges back a bit to watch the spectacle. 
Then one day, perhaps, the rain will come, and the debris slides. Seeds will germinate. Across the slopes and in the canyons will spring new manzanita and chamisa, buckwheat, burroweed and Scotch broom. Wild mustard will grow taller than a man, dry up in the wind and then burn again.
Epilogue
On September 30, 2009, the Forest Service initiated an interagency review of the Station Fire, summarizing the basic stats as follows: “The Station Fire exhibited unusually extreme fire behavior for southern California and involved one of the largest initial attack efforts ever undertaken. To date, the suppression cost of the Station Fire is $93 million and at its peak, 5,244 firefighters were assigned.  The Station Fire burned 160,577 acres, destroyed 89 structures and killed two LA County firefighters.”



Travel Writing Neologisms – WTF?
Eileen Smith — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 18:08:24 +0000

Photo By: Pyrosim-the-archivist

Travel ‘neologism’ is the tendency to take two perfectly good words, truncate one or both of them, then squeeze them together into one word where two would work perfectly. Here’s a list of ten of these neologisms we’d just as soon never see again.
“-cations”
Momcation
A momcation is when the mamas leave the papas and the babies at home and go out into the world, unafraid and unfettered by their loved ones. The word peppers women’s magazines and online forums. It’s overused, and annoying.



Mancation
This, we assume is the response to the momcation, when men pack up to engage in testosterone-laden activities like log hurling and volcano racing. It sounds a little like you’re making fun of yourself before you even leave.



Staycation

Photo By: francapicc

Here we have a word based in the idea that you go nowhere, and yet somehow are still vacationing. We get it. You didn’t go anywhere except out to the back porch. But does it really need its own word? 
Gaycation
You’re queer and you’re not here. Go on any kind of trip you like, whether it’s sailing the open ocean or delving into a new life philosophy. But gaycation? 
-packing 
Glampacking
Here’s the chance to make something that’s essentially not glamorous into something that’s… still not glamorous. Glamor and suitcases do not go together, no matter how well you roll your silk shirt. 
Flashpacking
This sounds you and the laundrette got into a fight and she kept your pants. If you go for the wheelie-suitcase and hotels over backpacks and hostels, you can be a traveler, but please do not give this mongrel word more leverage than it’s already gained. 
Other ugly hybrids 


Weddingmoon
If you combine your actual “I do”s with a trip, please call it a combination wedding/honeymoon. Once together, these words have no magnetic pull, no romantic suggestion. It sounds like a condition from which you suffer, like a very special sort of hangover. 
Transumer

Photo By:TomRiley

A transumer travels to purchase, and lives to do both. Clunkier than a pair of wooden clogs bought from the source, and uglier than clothes tried on in the back of a van in Milan, this word sounds like if you’re not careful, you might change forms right before our eyes. Please delete. 
Touron
This ‘not-me’ word tells you that the tourist you see is (psst!) actually a moron. It’s a way to point your finger at “the other guy” while you sound ‘cool’ for using the word. It’s rude, and reminds us of learning the declensions in Ancient Greek, so it gets extra demerits. 
Jetiquette
Jetiquette refers to Emily Post’s unwritten rules for being an airline passenger. Jetiquette is also the evil stepsister of netiquette and all the other –iquettes. We wish they would all get on a boat together and go on a new wordcation with little or no navigational equipment.  
And a bonus: If you travel for work and tack on an extra day to jog past landmarks or tick off modern architectural marvels, you’re not just ’sightjogging,’ nor a mere ‘architourist,’ you’re also engaging in what some people like to call ‘weisure.’ It’s a mix of work and leisure. But not on our watch.
Community Connection
Please check out more words and phrases we never want to hear again.

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




5 Beautiful and Super Creative Animations on Travel
Joshywashington — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:08:45 +0000
Please enjoy these amazing short animations on the theme of travel. Each is entertaining and thought provoking.
Travel Diary
Being alone in New York pushed Keng-Ming Liu into a dark corner and he released his anxiety by communicating with my friends throughout world. He condensed his thoughts and feelings into travel diaries… 

Travel
An amusing way to spend 25 seconds…how many times do you see George Bush?




Amsterdam
An animated account of a trip to Amsterdam including an encounter with fellow backpackers, the red light district and witnessing one of the benefits of visiting the Netherlands – legalized pot! Produced by Hilary Leben for Lonelyplanet.tv.

Travel
‘Travel’ is a short animation made using an overhead projector based on my personal thoughts and experiences of travelling. It is a stop-frame pieced together in After Effects. This animation is part of a larger project; visit kellyangood.co.uk to see it as a whole.

A Invitation to Travel.
Animation film by David Gautier based on the famous poem by Charles Baudelaire.

Community Connection
Are you a movie buff? Then you should most definitely check out The 20 Most Memorable Travel Films (That Aren’t Really About Travel)& 8 Bollywood Movies to Watch.



5 Amazingly Odd Travel Videos
Joshywashington — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 16:35:56 +0000
These filmmakers  know that travel can bring out the weirdness.
Strange recorded tape when I was in Paris for you.

By marin & sybila 


Travels

By Wing Yin Yau 


Cairo Street

By hatzputra 


It Goes Without Saying

By Una Lorenzen 


Zaragozoom!!

By Javier Fernández Fañanás 


Community Connection
I see you are a strange one too…in that case you want to check out MatadorPulse Archives of Weird Stuff.



Introducing MatadorU: Accelerating the Careers of Travel Writers
David Miller — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 18:16:41 +0000

After 8 months of work, Matador launches its first educational component, a training course for travel writers at all levels of their careers.
It’s hard to know where to begin with MatadorU. Inside the forums and with new students, it almost feels like that same energy that was around at the very beginning of Matador–strangers quickly getting to know one another, stoking off each other’s perspectives, places, and writing.  
Thinking back to those early days, it’s almost crazy to realize how far we’ve come in less than 3 years. Ross Borden and Ben Polansky, Matador’s co-founders, started Matador in April of 2006. It was just a small site with little funding. It had no traffic, no revenue. 
Today we’ve grown into the most-read independent travel publication online. Last week we were featured at WordPress as one of the top 10 highest rated sites for our design. And we have a dozen other plans right now for new projects and sites we’re still envisioning. 
Sill, having an educational component of Matador has always been one of our most important dreams. Half the staff, including myself, have backgrounds in education. Both Ben Polansky and Tim Patterson are currently teaching in addition to their work at Matador. And I think this “educator’s mindset” – always needing to share, include, and build community–has been a key factor from the very beginning of Matador’s development.
Basically what we’ve done at MatadorU is take the blueprint of how we’ve grown Matador (and how individuals have become successful professional travel writers), and break it down into easy to follow lessons.
Basically what we’ve done at MatadorU is take the blueprint of how we’ve grown Matador (and how individuals have become successful professional travel writers), and break it down into easy to follow lessons. 
We’ve designed each chapter to build on the next so that a person with literally no experience can immediately get their blog set up, begin to develop their writing skills, and learn how to network and begin preparing work for publication. 
At the same time, experienced writers will find even the early chapters relevant, with assignments that help further their online presence and reinforce the development of their storytelling. Later chapters will focus on skills they may find themselves lacking, such as implementing social media, negotiating contracts, and dealing with ad networks. 
Finally, enrollment in the school also includes access to a new, daily-updated list of exclusive market leads. As several editors on staff are multilingual and work with foreign publications, plans are in the works to begin expanding the market leads to other languages as well, beginning with Spanish.
I feel like online courses raise a natural suspicion in people’s minds. I know I think twice about anything that asks me to pay when it comes to writing, even something as small as an entry fee for a writing contest. But we’ve set this course up so that its super-affordable. Over twelve weeks it comes out to $2.60 per day, the cost of a visit to the cafe. And we totally guarantee you’ll love this curriculum, or you can suspend your enrollment after 3 weeks and still get a full refund. 
Here is a welcome page for those interested in learning more about MatadorU. We also have a blog recently set up for what people are saying about the school. If you’d like to go directly to the U, please click here.



You Got Your Pens Moving: Stories of Misunderstandings from the Matador Community
Teresa Ponikvar — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 14:44:42 +0000

Photo: CarbonNYC  Feature Photo: Cam Vilay
This week’s stories will make you laugh, but they also remind us to pay attention to our surroundings and to the words coming out of our mouths when we’re on the road in unfamiliar cultures–lest we unwittingly plant images of cheeses coated in bodily fluids in the minds of our new friends, or enrage swordfish-wielding Italian chefs.
Thanks to everyone who submitted!  
“It started out like any other beginners’ English class. My students were chatting about morning routines when out it slipped. 
‘In the morning, I have a big Cock,’ he announced, smiling shyly at his classmates, pleased with himself. 
Susana joined in. ‘I don’t like Coca-Cola,’ she said, ‘but I love coffee. I have two cups with milk and then I get dressed and brush my tits.’
–Natasha Young
“We were in Serbia, drinking Turkish coffee with friends one morning, and we started talking about a billboard we saw in Nis the night before. It said (in English): Brain Rules Force Timber Push.

Photo: Nihit

What?  The Serbs all started trying to explain — talking at the same time in those loud voices that makes our friend Paul tell his Serb girlfriend, ‘When I learn Serbian – don’t talk to me like you’re mad.’  
What they decided was that it was a VERY literal translation of our saying Mind Over Matter. Get it? Pretend the word timber means “large log”.  Now do you get it? It took more words than I feel like typing, but trust me — it works.
So what other Serbian gems might we need to know? Here are a few that our friends came up with:
Pomesaj Se Sa Mekinje, Pojesce Te Svinje:  If You Mix With Slop, The Pigs Will Eat You. (Choose your friends wisely.)
Ko Sadi Hkve Sa Djavolom O Glavu Mu Se Lupaju:  Who Plants Pumpkins With The Devil Will Get Hit In The Head With These Pumpkins (I think this is basically the same, but it’s so very pumpkin-specific that I can’t be sure.  Maybe it only applies to farmers, or to Halloween?)
Ili Jare Ili Pare: The Money Or The Goat. (You can’t have your cake and eat it too.) This one is terrific because it sounds so cool when you say it. Our kids hate it already.”
–Bob & Brenna Redpath
“My Medellin apartment was well-suited for a party, and with only two weeks left in Colombia before I had to return home, I decided on a ‘wine and cheese’ theme and began inviting everyone I knew.  
A few hours before the party was set to begin, I was returning from a last minute trip to the convenience store when I bumped into the beautiful Carolina.  Since I’d failed to manage a date with her on every prior attempt, I was surprised to learn she was interested in attending my party.  She went home to get ready, while I prepared the apartment.
As guests began to arrive with offerings of wine and typical Colombian cheeses, I spotted Carolina tasting the ones I provided.  The Roquefort on a cracker was met with a grimace, leaving me to finish the last bite, while the port wine cheddar was much more to her liking.  
When it came time to try the brie, she commented on how it was completely covered in sperm.  I wasn’t sure I heard her right, so I asked her to repeat herself.  
Again, she described the cheese as being covered in sperm.  Disturbing images of semen-covered soft cheese flashed in my mind, while I stood dumbfounded before this pretty, proper Colombian woman.

Photo: Dotbenjamin

I called for help in the form of my friend, Henry.  
‘Henry, why is she saying the cheese is covered in sperm?’ I asked.  
Henry let out a laugh, and explained, ‘Sperm in Spanish also means wax…like candles.’ ”
–David Lee
“After enjoying endless plates of delicious fish in Cinque Terre, I decided to press my luck at a Venice restaurant. It is surrounded by water after all. 
When my swordfish arrived, I realized the error of my ways and tried to explain to the waiter, in my garbled Italian, that it was undercooked, tasted quite fishy, and I just wasn’t going to eat it. Then I uttered the words I later regretted so badly. 
‘It just doesn’t taste fresh,’ I said. The waiter’s face went blank, his eyes cold. He whisked the fish away and retreated to the kitchen. 
As my husband and I pondered the implications of his actions, the squat, elderly chef came barreling out of the kitchen, and thrust an entire raw swordfish under my nose. 
‘Fresca, fresca!’ she shrieked. I stared at my husband, panicked, as all eyes in the restaurant turned to us.
‘I’m sorry,’ I replied sheepishly. ‘I just didn’t like it.’ 
She continued to rant in rapid-fire Italian as suddenly, waiters appeared all around us, and began removing the bread, wine and water from our table. As the bill was set down and we fumbled to pay, the chef hovered in the corner giving us a look that would make even the most-hardened member of the Gambino crime family quiver. 
We quickly paid and ducked out into the street, feeling the eyes of the chef boring into our backs. ‘Lesson learned,’ said my husband. ‘Never insult the freshness of an Italian chef’s fish.’ ”
–Katie Hammel 
“Japan is a paradoxical country when it comes to comfort. On the one hand, as an English-speaking visitor, you’ll find it very easy to get around on the trains, order food, and enjoy museum exhibits without speaking a word of Japanese. 
On the other hand, once you do start taking an interest in the local language and try to form a few words,you’ll find reactions will ALWAYS be positive: 
Me: Excuse… me… where… train station is?
Japanese bystander: Ohhh! Your Japanese is so honorably skillful! 
This was one reason I tended to stick with English in most conversations with my Japanese girlfriend – better to be the stereotypical non-Japanese-speaking foreigner than to accept unwarranted praise. 
But even straight English got me in trouble withher a few times. While we were walking down the street one evening after an Italian dinner, making jokes and poking fun at cultural differences, I casually mentioned I thought she was a ’silly girl.’  
That certainly stopped her in her tracks. ‘What do you mean? You don’t like me? You think I’m stupid?’ It turned out that she believed ’silly’ to be more ‘foolish’ and undesirable rather than something of a joke. She stayed pretty mad for a few hours until I convinced her, as the ‘authority’ on English in this little town, that I intended no harm. Still, that didn’t stop her from looking up the word on the Internet and in her pocket translator and insisting I was looking down on her. 
I was tempted, as I would to women in any country, to simply capitulate and let her believe what she liked. But rather than let this idea of foolishness spread around Japan and eventually destroy all international couples, I set the record straight.”
–Turner Wright
“Once the sun went down, I stumbled out of my hostel room in London after a floor picnic consisting of wine, wine, Cadbury’s chocolate bars, and more wine.  I was accompanied by three Swedish girls and two Spanish guys who were at the moment, my best friends in the whole world (I’d known them for three hours).  
We were on our way to the closest bar possible.  What we found consisted of, among other things, a flat-screen television projecting images of gym-savvy young men in Speedos, and a bouncer at the door named ‘Gloria’ who was adorned with platform shoes, fake eyelashes, and an Adam’s Apple.  I may have been drunk and on the other side of the world, but I know a gay bar when I see one.

Photo: greenmelinda

I resigned myself to an evening of great dance music and eye candy that I could look at but not touch.  This would be fun.  We were all having a good time, but a few martinis into our dance party with Cher on the turntable, Malin, one of my Swedish cohorts, leaned over and whispered in my ear, ‘I think this is a gay bar!’  
She had been wondering why all the attention had been directed toward Jorge and Ion.  I’m not sure if it was the abundance of cheap hostel picnic wine and overpriced cocktails that led to her initial misreading of the bar clientele.  That, or I’ll have to give it to Gloria the bouncer; she was rather convincing.”
–Marissa Barker
 Community Connection 
Want to avoid misunderstandings like these?  Check out these five tips for avoiding embarrassing cultural mishaps.



Kill your iPod
Joshywashington — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:21:08 +0000

Photo snowking24


Do you hear that?
The clatter of a busy market.  Wheels going 60 miles per hour on badly patched highway. Do you hear the whooping laughter 3 blocks distant tittering off into uncontrolled giggling?
If you have your iPod on you don’t.
Don’t get me wrong, I love music. Hans Christian Anderson said “Where words fail, music speaks.” and I couldn’t agree more.But those ear buds are a barrier to the outside world, cutting the listener off from the unique cacophony that flavors each place.
I was late to the iPod party.I purchased my first, an unassuming gray little shuffle, just 2 months ago. And yes, while jogging and cleaning it feels like a godsend to have Bonobo and Led Zeppelin crooning and thumping, feeling the exquisite audiophile euphoria of the iPod user.
Photo Martin Krzywinski
But at what cost?
On a recent cross country early dawn bus ride I rested my forehead against the cool rattling glass. Looking about the bus at the other travelers, most of them napped or stared into the distance with white ear buds dangling. 
I was jealous, yeah. I was also conscious that by bringing favorite songs with them across the world they tint the newness of the place with the familiar.  
They were in effect cutting themselves off from something both subtle and profound. Something essential to travel. Sound.
How can this effect your travel writing?
You cannot know a place unless you hear it, unless you listen and let it speak to you.  Oh, you can see a place, sure. And you may describe it in pithy, incandescent detail.  But you cannot fully experience a place unless you actively listen. Not to what you want to listen to,but what you would hear if you were to surrender and sit still. 
The creaking, swooshing, chatter of travel is a vital part of the experience and can color your writings. 
Try this. 
Shut your eyes. Sit and listen for 5 minutes. This may seem like a long time, hopefully after a few moments you will become accustomed to being a listening thing and new layers of sound, new secrets, will reveal themselves.  
Let those secrets inform your travel writings.  
And when there is nothing to hear…enjoy! Let the emptiness be your playlist. The great French mime Marcel Marceau put it well, “Music and silence combine strongly because music is done with silence, and silence is full of music.”
What do you think? Am I just a crotchety ol geezer or am I on to something? Do you travel with your iPod?
Community Connection
Well if you are gonna listen to your iPod, you may as well make it good! Check out 10 Music Blogs to Keep Your iPod Stacked with Fresh Beats.

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




Black Rock TV: Burning Man News & Events (upload your vids today)
Joshywashington — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:03:51 +0000
Black Rock TV aims to broadcast the good news from Burning Man 09 all year with user uploads and new videos from the BRTV team.

Burning Man may only last a week in the barren Nevada desert  but Black Rock TV will broadcast all year with new videos and updates. Pat the Digital Vagabond and I have teamed up capture the magic from the worlds most unique art festival and present it in regular webisodes. 
BRTV is also a place for the thousands of hours of Burning Man videos that will be captured by the 50,000 creative souls Black Rock City attracts. The site invites visitors to register and upload there own edited footage or raw videos. 
Once registered you can upload from the site or embed from Youtube, Vimeo ect…The intuitive upload application also gives the uploader the option to offer their video to be remixed by other users, creating a database of footage to be utilized by all. 
BRTV’s gonzo team of  VJ’s ( including myself, Pat the DV and the Roads Scholars ) will shoot the news and events from the playa the week of Burning Man.
Hit us up in the comments if you are going to Burning Man!
[Feature Photo: John Curley]
Community Connection


Interested in becoming a VJ for Black Rock TV?
Already have a video from past a past Burning Man you would like to share?



Which Blogging Platform is Best for Writers?
David Miller — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 18:29:27 +0000
Sometimes the hardest part about blogging is just choosing which blog platform to use.
Recently we looked at 4 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting Published. One of the things we focused on was dedicating time to your blog. I wrote:
Simply put, writers who blog well and often are more accessible, relevant, and interesting than writers who don’t. Two examples that come to mind immediately are Sherman Alexie and Dennis Cooper. 
This brought up a good question: which blogging platform is best to use?
WordPress

Wordpress  is the most sophisticated and powerful blogging system available. It’s an Open Source project, meaning that a worldwide community is continually helping to develop and upgrade its technology and features. 
It also means that it’s completely free and infinitely expandable. As new plugins and technologies are created, these can be added right to your blog. You can either have a free blog hosted at WordPress  or you can buy your own domain, web hosting service, and then Download and Install WordPress onto the server. 
All this said, WordPress isn’t necessarily the best choice for everyone. Even though the tutorials and instructions are written and organized in a very intuitive and user-friendly way, there is a certain level of tech and computer knowledge assumed on the part of the forums / writers. In other words, unless you’re already a savvy computer user you might find yourself completely lost and discouraged in the process of setting up your own site on WordPress.
Secondly, WordPress is available and usable via a pre-made themes. There are thousands of them available, however, unless you have dev skills or know how to play around with CSS, you can’t really customize much yourself. 
The best way to see if WP is for you is to go to Wordpress and play around. If you’d like to set up your own site, Craig Martin gives a complete tutorial on How to Set Up a WordPress Travel Blog.  
[News update 8/24/09 - Matador was just featured in the WordPress showcase, a collection of the best-designed WordPress sites.]
Blogger

Blogger is Google’s blogging system. Its main advantage is that it’s very simple to use and customize. It’s not as powerful / expandable as WordPress, however, unlike WordPress, you can play with the coding and look of your blog in a preview screen. This is a great option for people without a lot of tech savvy but who may have a certain artistic vision of what they want their blog to look like. 
Another advantage of Blogger is that you’re automatically part of a community of people worldwide. The backend of Blogger makes it easy to follow other people’s blogs and vice versa.
Tumblr and Posterous
With everything becoming about speed and mobility, people have gotten tired of having to go through several steps just to post a blog. This has led to new blogging systems set up where you can post just by sending an email (although this feature is also available at WordPress) or by cellphone. Two of the most popular are tumblr and Posterous. Basically they’re just streamlined blogging systems that focus on the content and not any other extra features, which, perhaps inadvertently, leads to an appealing aesthetic, a kind of minimalist style.
The main disadvantage of using tumblr or Posterous is SEO, or Search Engine Optimization. Posts created through tumblr or Posterous are simply not as visible to Google and people searching for content as blogs set up on WordPress. 
The bottom line however, is that as a writer, what should matter most is that you’re writing. As long as you’re consistently adding content and communicating with other writers via social networking, you should be generating a following regardless of the SEO of your blog. In this sense, you should choose your blogging platform based on whichever blog system seems like it will facilitate writing the most. 
Matador

For some people, what matters most isn’t the structure of a blogging platform, or the features, but simply the opportunity to blog at a place where you’re more likely to have a captive audience for your work. Using any of the above platforms, the one disadvantage is that you’re just one of millions of other bloggers. 
Setting up your blog at a smaller community such as Matador assures that your writing will gain people’s attention. 


Ultimate Set-up
Ultimately, if you’re productive enough, you can set up multiple blogs, each of which takes advantage of that blog’s particular features / advantages, and then tie them all together through one main blog. Take developer Lisa Brewster’s blog for example. She has incorporated a tumblr-style ‘log’, plus a porfolio, a twitter feed, and other information, all on one WordPress blog. 
The most important step: just pick one blogging platform and get started!
Community Connection
Please reference the original article that prompted this one: 4 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting Published.

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




Get Your Pen Moving: MISUNDERSTANDINGS
Teresa Ponikvar — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:02:11 +0000

Photo: The Giant Vermin  Feature Photo: Lourdes Nightingale
No matter how experienced, prepared, and culturally sensitive a traveler you are, misunderstandings are inevitable–and often hilarious, even sometimes illuminating.  
This week, pull out your notebook or laptop and start writing about misunderstandings you’ve had on the road–the funny, the sad, and the awkward: everything from a grossly misinterpreted street sign, to a mangled Portuguese phrase that had the entire dinner table staring at you in shock. 
As always, bring us into the moment with you.  We’re more interested in strong characters and original details than in philosophizing or “telling”–but feel free to follow that moving pen wherever it wants to take you.
When you’ve got something you like, send 250 words (or less) in the body of an email, along with your full name (or favorite alias) and your Matador community page url, with MISUNDERSTANDINGS in the subject line, to teresa@matadorntwork.com.  We’ll publish our favorite bits and pieces next Monday.  
Thanks for continuing to share your stories!



4 Ways to Increase Your Chances of Getting Published
David Miller — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:44:35 +0000

Image: HikingArtist.com

Trying to get published can be a full time job in itself. 
At times, trying to get work published can seem overwhelming. Other times it can seem easy. And still at other times it can seem totally disheartening. 
The biggest problem writers face when trying to get published is getting emotional about the whole process, being reactive instead of proactive. 
Beginners often send out a single piece of work at a time to a single publication or blog. This may be a story they feel is their very best, and so if it gets rejected, they often take that as a rejection of themselves, their talent, vision, or style, when this is almost never the case.
To prevent getting emotional about publishing and to best optimize your time, we recommend the following 4 ways to increase your chances of publishing. 
1. Develop a  “publication mindset.”
A publication mindset is an attitude: you’re proactive in the publication process rather than reactive, able to put yourself in the place of an editor reviewing your work. 
Having work rejected is never fun, however, once you get into a publication mindset you see that rejections are just part of the game, and as soon as it happens, you’re ready to send out the story to 5 new markets, or you have 5 new stories ready to go.
Getting into a publication mindset is a single strategy that involves the following elements:

*Visualizing what the editor will think when he / she receives your submission – Put yourself in the editors’ place. Even if you think your story is the a perfect fit, do you think they’re going to take it seriously if you don’t present in a professional, thoughtful way – a way that shows you’ve read their publication and submission guidelines?
	   *Ability to deal with rejection –  The best way to deal with rejection is to submit stories and pitches on an ongoing basis. That way, whether a piece is rejected or accepted, you’re automatically sending a thank you note, then you’re moving on, ready to resubmit to a different publication or to send a new story.
	    *Learning from each rejection - Another way of dealing with rejection is to look at each one as part of the learning process. You don’t need to dwell on it, but simply ask yourself: Was the story really an ideal fit for the publication? Was the story as good as it could be or could you have done further edits?

Was your pitch / cover letter as good as it could have been?
  	  *Continuously researching new and relevant markets – The most obvious way is to search the links page at your favorite blog or magazine. Another way is to study the bios of the contributors at blogs and magazines where you’re submitting. What other publications do they mention?
Always bookmark new blogs or magazines you find that seem like potential markets for submitting. Another trick is to to email the urls of the publication to yourself, labeling those emails consistently or giving a consistent subject to the emails such as “travel writing markets.”

	 *Ability to stay organized so that you are continuously submitting pitches and multiple submissions – Previously we’ve written about using a submissions log or a submission manager, basically a simple spreadsheet that allows you to quickly view and organize potential markets, contacts, and submissions. 
	    *Understanding the hierarchy of getting published at different websites, magazines, and newspapers, and honestly assessing your position – The more you get published and the greater the readership of each blog, magazine, or newspaper that publishes your work, the higher up you move on the hierarchy, and the easier it will be for you to publish or “place” work at bigger and better-paying markets.

2. Always present yourself in a professional way.
All too often, travel writers tend to view and / or judge other writers or editors via their work, looking at them as “the competition,” getting emotional and egotistical, or defensive around them. Always remember that there’s a difference between a writer and his or her work. Consider writers and editors your colleagues. Your only real competition should be with yourself, to write better and to publish more.
The following are several key places for you to show your professionalism. In general, take up as little of the editor’s time as possible when dealing with:
 * Pitch / query

    * Follow up

    * Thank you letter

    * General communication

    * Invoicing
For examples of what NOT to tell an editor, please check 3 More things Never to Tell an Editor. 
3. Become a social media ninja.
Social Media is broad concept with many different elements and definitions, but at its core is the idea of using internet technology to facilitate connection, communication, and user-generated content. While each social media platform is slightly different, the end goal of all social media is to connect you and your writing to other people, and to invite them to connect with you. 
The more time you spend on Twitter, Facebook, StumbleUpon and other social media applications, the more you’ll see how writers utilize them to network with one another, share leads and opportunities, and in general, develop online communities that simply aren’t available to those not there participating. 
4. Dedicate time to your blog. 
Simply put, writers who blog well and often are more accessible, relevant, and interesting than writers who don’t. Two examples that come to mind immediately are Sherman Alexie  and Dennis Cooper. 
For new writers pitching Matador, the first thing we look for is their blog, the kind of writing they have there, and their following. If you don’t have a blog, get one now, for free at WordPress or Blogger and get your thoughts and links out there. It will expand your internet visibility and chances of getting published. 
[Update, 8/18/09 - We just added a new article: Which Blogging Platform is Best for Writers?]
Community Connection
This article was remixed from different lessons at MatadorU. 

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




You Got Your Pens Moving: Stories of Travel Terror from the Matador Community
Teresa Ponikvar — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 18:02:45 +0000
 
Photo: Debrrr
Matadorians share their moments of travel terror from Cambodia to the Amazon.
This week’s collection of stories ended up being funnier than it is terrifying.  Most of the contributors are admirably willing to make the jump from terror to laughing at themselves and the dicey situations they find themselves in.  Enjoy alternately biting your nails and giggling as you read these excerpts from their work. 
“Since the last bus had left and the government-run taxis were stalled, we could either lodge in a seedy gambling

establishment, or take our new, remarkably-good-English-speaking Cambodian friend’s offer to get a ride in his car – a mafia taxi. It was an offer we couldn’t refuse.
When four of the largest Cambodians I could ever imagine (who knew sumo was popular there) squeezed out of ’94 Corolla, my spirits actually lifted – I might as well use my last breaths to laugh!

Photo: Mugley

 Fortunately, only one of the behemoths could fit into the car to drive us. Unfortunately, he spoke not a lick of English, so our questions along the way remained unanswered by all but our own anxious and sleepy imaginations, which were being battered by the bumpy ride down the unlit ‘highway.’
 Mid night we thought we reached our destination. But alas, after driving a few laps around the dusty village roads, our driver stopped behind another car. He got out to smoke with a much thinner man under the glow of a lonely street light. Suddenly, we were motioned out of the car by our driver, who, strangely, learned enough English during the drive to repeat “I’m sorry” while the other man transferred our bags from the trunk to his. Now we were in this stranger’s hands….”
–Amir 
“Monte Rico, a black-sand beach on the southern coast of Guatemala, is a home to Traitors. These Traitors, as Guatemalans call them, are freak waves which, after experiencing one, you may be tempted to believe have their origin in the 9th level of hell.
They are waves that don’t appear from out at sea but erupt abruptly from the coast, surging colossal. Jurassic waves that redefine your notion of raw power, swallowing and rocketing you towards the shore. Waves whose self-destructions whip and break you on the ocean bed, drawing from your lips an underwater moan. 
Waves whose frothy and chaotic aftermath you surface in the midst of, kaleidoscopic pain swimming through your body, and a prayer in your mind, emanating from a legitimate fear of drowning, that you reach land before another such wave unleashes itself upon you. Those are Traitors.”
–Aaron King    
“We were alone in the hostel in Las Penitas, Nicaragua, except for an armed guard who stood at the rickety sheet of metal that acted as the property’s gate. The creepiness of the place had subsided after we polished off a bottle of Flor de Caña rum, and I was nestled between my friends Jenna and Sarah. 
In between dreams, I heard a muffled KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. Someone grabbed my arm. It was Sarah. She whimpered “Si?” Nothing, then KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

Photo: Alyssa L. Miller

Sarah shouted “Que?!” Still nothing, then KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. 
Both Jenna and I roused ourselves to see what the hell was going on. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. 
Our hearts and heads (swirling with the last effects of the rum) pounded. Sarah yelled “Como?!” We all swung our feet to the floor and flinched at the next KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. 
Sarah, hysterical now, screamed “What?!”
Silence. Then… “Hey guys…”  It was Nick.  “Can I have some water? My parasite is acting up again.”
–Emily Nuchols
“I spent my last day in Chiang Mai walking through the city. I spent my last night in the ER.
The day was sticky. The heat barely tolerable. To reward myself for walking through all four gates of the city, I sprung for a three-hour Thai massage. I crashed at the hotel for a quick nap. My plan was to spend the evening at the Night Bazaar for some shopping.
After picking up a cheap-looking belt to hold up my shorts, I grabbed dinner. Pad Thai, two bottles of Chang Beer and a Mango Smoothie. I stood up and paid the bill. I don’t remember what followed.
The man who revived me, a loud, pushy German eating with his wife at the table next me, said I staggered from my table, hit a post, and fell. ‘And then you tried to get up, but fell down again.’
‘Wait,’ I answered. ‘Have you seen my belt?’
I spent an hour at Central Chiang Mai Memorial Hospital. They ran tests, found nothing. They said I was dehydrated. They directed me to the cashier window and showed me a slip of paper. 720 Baht. I reached for my money belt with my passport, extra cash, and credit cards. Nothing. I had taken off my belt at the hotel and forgot to put it back on. I panicked and put my hands in my pocket. I pulled out 750 Baht, the change from my dinner.
Lesson learned: hydrate after a three-hour Thai massage.”
–Emanuel Ramos  
“I laughed as we stepped up on a library stool to get into the twin prop aircraft in the Bolivian Amazon. I remember saying something vaguely inappropriate to a few of my group members. Of course, as the guide, I was supposed to be putting them more at ease but now, six weeks in, they knew me and I them.

Photo: Antoine Hubert

Seated, I could survey the rutted strip laid out before us from the inexplicably small window. Our discomfort as we bounced along to the far end was not dissimilar to what we had been experiencing the previous weeks touring in 4×4s. 
How many times had I made this flight, seven, eight?  I mentioned that on occasions some people became euphoric with the lack of cabin pressure control. I could see some amongst my group hoping for this free “high”.  
The aircraft lined up with the runway and as the pilot accelerated I had an unrivalled view of his actions and our line through the front windows. Shortly we would leave behind us the wonders of Rurrenabaque and climb to the lofty heights of La Paz. 
The pilot was chuckling idly with the co-pilot, their eyes obscured by the ubiquitous aviator glasses and the nose of the aircraft lifted off the ground.  
But we rose no further. 
The pilot levelled the aircraft out at a height of roughly 2 to 3 meters above the ground. He was aiming at the tree-line at the end of the runway.
Before us lay a formidable obstacle: the Amazon. And we were headed directly at it. 
In the split second before the pilot pulled up soaring over, yet perilously close to, the tree tops, all the while cackling maniacally at his joke, a girl in my group described my face as being nothing less than ‘resigned to death’. My eyes did not open wider but my colour drained and I was at peace.”   
–Richard McColl
 Community Connection
If you liked something you read here, take a moment to click through the writer’s Matador community page and leave a comment.
Check in with the Notebook next Monday for another prompt to get your pen moving!



4 Free Video Editing Programs with User Reviews
Joshywashington — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:41:23 +0000
You don’t have to spend a fortune on editing software.  Get started with one of these 4 free editing programs.

Photo: udt_greenberet1123
You have captured amazing footage of your trip, now what do you do with it?
Most professional editors use programs that cost an arm and a leg and require hours upon hours of training.
In the case of the average traveler, simpler is better and free is best.  
iMovie
iMovie has a very intuitive interface and many cool features that allow for transitions and titles. iMovie also works easily with iPhoto and Garage Band allowing you to add your favorite pictures and compose your own soundtrack.
iMovie is only compatible with your Mac and is free with a new computer purchase.
User Reviews

“iMovie 09 is genuinely useful and fun.”
“…non-techie older people need only iMovie, but the majority of apple users have the skills necessary to use Final Cut Express.”
Windows Movie Maker
Movie Maker comes installed on newer computers running Windows.  Like iMovie, Movie Maker has drag and drop editing features for the casual editor.  Common complaints include frequent freezing and crashing. 
User Reviews

“Freezes constantly. No exaggeration….probably once every 3 minutes. Makes it impossible to get anything done.”
“Cheap, simple, very irritating”
DOWNLOAD MOVIE MAKER 
Wax

Photo: blakespot
Wax touts itself as high performance video compositing and special effects software.
Wax can create 2D & 3D special effects and works in two modes – as a standalone application or as a “plug-in” to Sony Vegas, Pure Motion Edit Studio and Adobe Premiere.
Reviews seem to agree that the interface takes some time to learn, but for special effects this is one of the best, free options. 
There are also warnings of piggybacking viruses.
User Reviews

“There are so many options and it comes with over 50 effects! I love it and it is extremely hard to find other free plug-ins for my software…”
“Excellent video editing, with severe rendering issues.”
“Not easy for beginners (like me), but after you read the Help section and practice a lot, you’ll get the hang of it… This suckers just kickin’ my ass right now though.”
DOWNLOAD WAX
ZS4 Video Editor
The new incarnation of Zwei-Stein Video Editor claims to be advanced video editing and compositing software with over 150 built-in video effects.

ZS4 runs on Windows, Linux and OSX and is free to download.
User reviews are pretty scathing and many people seem to have problems running the program… might want to do more research before you download this bad boy.
User Reviews

“User interface designed by Stevie Wonder.”
“Huge amount of effects/filters, infinite level of track sub-mixers, great chroma keying and cool distort effects.”
“Slow and difficult to use.”
DOWNLOAD ZS4
Community Connection
Get your editing juices gushing with the 7 Most Inspiring Travel Video Channels on YouTube





How to Run from a Tsunami
Joshywashington — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 15:11:26 +0000
 Inspired by this Monday’s Get Your Pen Moving : Travel Terror, I  revisit a few of my scariest travel moments. 

Photo:flattop431 
If you are anything like me, you have more than a few tales of travel terror.  
Like the time I was cruising down the beach front ribbon of road in Mui Ne, Vietnam.
My mother Cory sits between my wife Bridget and I on the rented scooter as we are try to decide which bar we want to munch calamari in. 
Then it hits me. 
Well, actually it hits Bridget.

A twenty person mini bus slams into the back of us like a battering ram.

The three of us throw out legs out to steady the wobbling scooter that threatens to go down, putting us under the wheels of the bus.
Too often I have thought to myself in some near brush with travel cataclysm~ 
“Just what the hell am I doing out here!” 
 I had a great time chopping up this footage of Bridget and I in Long Hai, Vietnam when the entire town gets word a tsunami is heading straight for them!


How to Run from a Tsunami! from confluence creative media on Vimeo.
One minute we are blogging, the next we are running for our lives!
As soon as Bridget and I made the mile long sprint back to our guest house I set up the tripod. I knew whether a tsunami leveled the town or not I might get some cool footage. 
Shooting video while terrified is a good thing to do.  Assuming you survive the encounter (good luck!) you will be happy you had the presence of mind to capture the madness. 
Scared? Unsure? Panicked?! First things first…grab your camera!
Community Connection
It can be a scary world out there, and having  a few phobias doesn’t help either! Check out The 5 Deadliest Travel Fears,5 Simple Ways To Conquer Your Fear Of Flying & The World’s Most Dangerous Hike at your own risk!



Get Your Pen Moving: TRAVEL TERROR
Teresa Ponikvar — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:56:56 +0000

Photo: Gia Rose Feature Photo: Giraffe 756
It’s Monday again–time for you to start writing, time for us to start anticipating a new batch of your travel stories.  Get your pens out, and…go!
This week we want to hear about moments of travel terror: a close shave with a rampaging bull? Realizing at 3 a.m. in a strange city that you’ve lost your wallet, your room key, and your passport?  Getting picked up by heavily-armed police officers for an offense you don’t understand? 
Whatever it was, make us sweat (shiver, shake, whimper…) through the experience along with you.  Send 250 words (or less) worth of whatever you come up with to teresa@matadornetwork.com, along with your full name (or preferred psuedonymn) and your Matador community url, with “TRAVEL TERROR” in the subject line.  
We’ll publish some of our favorite paragraphs, sentences, and turns of phrase next Monday.  We look forward to reading your words!
Community Connection
Matador member Sarah Shourd is in the middle of a very real moment of travel terror right now.  Read the breaking news on her situation at Matador Pulse.  



5 MORE Words We Never Want to See in Travel Writing Again
Teresa Ponikvar — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 16:47:34 +0000

Photo: Joe Seggiola
After we published “10 Words and Phrases We Never Want to See in Travel Writing Again,” some readers argued that travel-writing clichés can be necessary and useful in certain mainstream publications.  Others felt that we should stop whining, that no word should be declared off-limits.  
And lots and lots of readers had lists of their own hated and despised travel-writing words.  What can we say?  We love to whine about bad writing.  So here are five more words we’d just as soon never see again in travel writing:

Photo: Supermac

1. perched/nestled.  These words are just too, too adorable when used in reference to towns or buildings.
Form the picture in your head of an oh-so-charming, thatch-roofed country inn.  Now picture it…nestling.  Ugh.  Save these words for birds and fluffy little puppies. 
2.  Mecca.   Mecca is of course an actual place you might travel to or make reference to, and in either of those cases, it’s a perfectly appropriate word to use.  But a Shopping Mecca?  A Snowboarding Mecca?  Really? 
Would you ever refer to a “Shopping Basilica of Guadalupe?”  Or a “Snowboarding Konark Sun Temple?”   Sounds dumb, right?  Okay, then.  
3. shrouded.  Whether it’s shrouded in mystery or shrouded in fog, this seems like a strangely morbid word choice in most situations.  A shroud, after all, wraps a corpse.  Do you mean to imply that San Francisco, “shrouded in fog”, is dead and awaiting burial?  Probably not.

Photo: Jitze

4. spartan/rustic.  Our problem with these words is when they’re used for “spin” purposes.  If the toilet is an open ditch out back, you have to bring your own toilet paper, and yes, those are bedbugs—well, “rustic” is perhaps bordering on dishonesty.   
5.  eatery.   Just imagine how goofy you would sound if you used “eatery” in conversation.  “I don’t feel like cooking—let’s go to an eatery!”  Try saying that out loud and see if you don’t giggle. 
(And don’t worry: if someone was silly enough to actually name their restuarant “The Brown Cow Eatery” or some such thing, we won’t hold you responsible.) 
Community Connection
Is your travel writing pet peeve still missing from the list?  Share it in the comments! 

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




5 No-Tech Ways to be Creative While Traveling
Joshywashington — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:26:34 +0000

Watercolor by Josh Johnson
Here are 5 old school ways to be creative without benefit of WIFI, wires, keyboards, or kilobytes.
Watercolor
Watercolors are cheap, portable and easy to use. A few bucks will get you a watercolor set and a few more will get you a decent brush.  In the hands of a master, watercolor is a magical medium indeed. In the hands of the rest of us watercolor is both fun and forgiving. I created the watercolor above while watching the sun set in Krabi, Thailand. 

Collage
Take ordinary objects from the world around you and arrange them to tell the story of your journey. 
Ticket stubs, jotted notes, newspaper clippings, currency, postcards…anything that offers a glimpse into the world you are inhabiting will take on an especially exotic air after you return to your seemingly mundane “normal life”.  
Sketch
As our Journal Pages feature shows, sketching is a powerful way to flex your creative muscles and immortalize the moment while traveling. You don’t have to be an amazing artist, you simply need to grab a a pencil and start doodling. 

Music
If you are traveling with a guitar or bongos on your back this is obvious, but making music shouldn’t exclusively be left to musicians. We all have the ability to drum a rhythm or hum a tune.  Here’s an idea, grab some friends milling about the hostel or campsite and have an impromptu drum circle or sing along. 
 Music is perhaps the oldest art form and has been a part of building community, telling stories, relaxing and expressing creativity since times unremembered. 
Poetry
Poetry grants the poet freedom to express beyond the limitations of form to express beautiful and abstract experiences. Your travel poetry need not be long or formally structured.  Boil an epiphany down to a few raw ideas and words that evoke emotion.
Community Connection
What are your favorite no-tech ways to get down with your creative self? Share with us in the comments. And holy amazing analog creativity Batman, check out these journal pages! 



You Got Your Pens Moving: Animal Stories from the Matador Community
Teresa Ponikvar — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:06:29 +0000

Photo: IRRI Images
After reading this week’s submissions, I am fully convinced that animals need to make more appearances in our travel writing.  In these stories, they provide comic relief, metaphors, and suprising new perspectives on human affairs.  
Enjoy these excerpts from your fellow Matadorians’ work!
“People a lot smarter than me wear hats or pith helmets in the jungle. I had to wear those silly-looking helmets for 3 years in the jungles of Panama, years ago. They make you sweat, and then, the leather headband shrinks and crushes your skull.  I’m not working for the government now, so when I go in the jungle, I wear or don’t wear whatever the hell I want to.
I never saw the spider I came across. I walked right into his web.  It was at just the right height across the trail to wrap my whole head and the upper half of my body in stuff you could use as a substitute for Super Glue, only it stinks worse.
While I was cussin’ and flailin’ around trying to  wipe the mess off of me and my trail partner was laughin’ his ass off, the spider was probably spinning a new web !
Solution: Wear a hat?  Hell no!  Get a taller trail partner and let him lead the way!”
–Michael Lynch

Photo: Ken Mayer

“Cockfighting is legal in Guatemala although even some Guatemalans are unsure of its legality. This lack of knowledge speaks to the mystery surrounding the blood sport. Few Guatemalans are capable of telling you where to find a cockfight if asked and even fewer possess concrete details pertaining to fights. Your best chance at gaining admittance to a cockfight is through connections. I was fortunate to have just such a connection.
My university professor in Guatemala, whom I shall call Roderigo, was the uncle of a weekend gallo fighter, Gabriel. Was I interested in seeing a fight of Gabriel’s, Roderigo asked. Of course, and we were off one Saturday evening to the cockfights.
We drove to the house of Gabriel, on the fringe of Guatemala City. Luis, Gabriel’s father, was waiting for us. Roderigo had only just parked when Luis opened my passenger-side door and whisked me (“Rapido, rapido, Aaron ”) into his home. He had never before had the chance to explain his gallo-passion to a foreigner. 
He showed me to a study in the back, and through the windows I could see the family’s rooster coop behind the house. “Special windows,” Luis said,pointing to the doubly-thick panes, “No hear cuckoo.” I glimpsed only one rooster occupying a cage before Luis took me by the sleeve and rushed me back towards the driveway (we were late for the fights), but it stood in profile to me: proud, meditative, mysterious.”
–Aaron King
“Were they going to charge at me? I had never been so close to one cow before, never mind an entire herd! I continued to approach them and when just over a metre away they started to run in the opposite direction. I didn’t expect such large animals to be so timid.”
–Dan Massie

Photo: Henrique Vicente

“Pushing his nose through the glass shards, mangled steel, and dilapidated bricks of a former palace, now destroyed, he trots along the sidewalk.  Stopping briefly to scratch his spotted white and black neck with his long, slender legs.  
‘Don’t you realize there is a war going on?’ 
Ignoring the hulking, armored vehicles as they drive past, he continues foraging through the rubble.  He doesn’t care about the politicians or their wars.  
The “weapons of mass destruction,” roadside bombs, religious tensions, and suicide bombers wreaking havoc on cities mean nothing to him.  He won’t shed a tear for the mothers and fathers not going home to their children, or the children being buried by their loved ones.  He just wants his next meal.
Panting, and without filling his stomach at the palace where people once gorged themselves on luxurious feasts, he darts into the darkness.”
–Michael James
Community Connection
There have to be more great animal stories out there–tell yours in the comments.  

Got great ideas for future “get your pen moving” prompts?  Share them in the comments!



How to Improve Your Travel Writing with Anecdotes
David Miller — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 18:07:38 +0000
Lagos, Nigeria. Photo: Lola Akinmade

Here’s an actual excerpt from our upcoming Travel Writing School, a quick lesson on how to use anecdotes to improve your travel writing.
When writing a travel story, sometimes you have a minor character or incident that doesn’t fit well in the plot, but which, if included, would add a particularly rich detail or reinforce the story’s overall theme. This is when you need to utilize anecdotes. 
Take the following example from a story about a typical day in the life of a young woman with her family in Lagos, Nigeria:

“You get Punch? How about Guardian?” my mom yells out in pidgin English to a newspaper vendor racing alongside the car in traffic. Balancing a stack of newspapers on his head with a few stuffed underneath both armpits, he skillfully pulls out a Punch and exchanges it for a 10 Naira note. Twenty years later and now 100 Naira a pop, this daily ritual of buying Punch Newspaper remains. 
Up until this point in the story, the reader has only been given details of the family at home:  the mother cooking breakfast, the girls putting on their uniforms and getting ready for school.
Although the girls are moving quickly to get ready for another day, overall there is a very orderly and peaceful sense about the house (which is also the theme of the story–the strength of family and ritual). So when this anecdote of buying a newspaper is presented, it works in multiple ways, making the reader feel as if he or she has suddenly gone from the peace of the house into a much faster-moving world outside.
Also notice how the anecdote ends with a good transition right back into the story: “Twenty years later and now 100 Naira a pop, this daily ritual of buying Punch Newspaper remains.” 
An anecdote works best when it returns the reader to the story with a new sense of understanding or awareness of the characters. 
Not only does this transition move the reader back into the story, it also serves to reinforce the theme, the daily ritual.
An anecdote works best when it returns the reader to the story with a new sense of understanding or awareness of the characters.
Remember this when you’re deciding whether to include an anecdote. If it’s an amusing or interesting incident on its own, it still isn’t necessarily good for the story unless it adds to the theme, setting, or reader’s visualization of the characters.
Community Connection
Want more Travel Writing tips? Check out our focus page at Matador on How to Write.   

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




Interview with David Farley: On the Holy Foreskin, Writing His First Book, and More
Eva Holland — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 17:57:20 +0000

Eva Holland spoke to renowned “walking party,” first-time author and Matador member David Farley about his new book, An Irreverent Curiosity: In Search of the Church’s Strangest Relic in Italy’s Oddest Town. The story follows Farley’s search for the holy foreskin in a tiny Italian hilltown that was affectionately known as “the village of freaks.” See our accompanying review on Matador Goods.


So, the holy foreskin, eh? How did you find yourself studying such a bizarre footnote to Christian history? 
I sometimes asked myself the same question—especially during the periods of self doubt. But having studied European history in college and grad school it seemed like the perfect subject for me: this unusual relic has been looming about the periphery of various historical periods and movements, from the Middle Ages to the fury that inspired the Reformation to the 19th-century Romantic movement. It was a fun challenge in writing the book to put the relic into a historical context for each period.


Your book actually began life as an article in Slate, right? At what point did you start thinking there was a full-length travel narrative in the making, and how did you make that transition from article to book?


Actually, a book was my original intention. But writing the article was a great first step. Plus, in the back of my mind, I had hoped the article would get enough attention that it would help me sell the book. And, in fact, that’s exactly what happened. The blogosphere went crazy over the article, people were talking about it on the radio, and people from the publishing world were emailing me asking if I’d sold the book yet. I often tell my writing students that the easiest way to sell your book is to write an article on the subject in a high-profile publication.
Was it a tough balancing act over there, between making friends, researching your book, learning Italian, and, I assume, writing for a living as well? Any advice on how writers can balance all their commitments while tackling something like a book project? 
It wasn’t so difficult. I had fully absorbed myself into the village and into the history of the relic and the area. It all pervaded me to the degree that nearly everything I did could have been part of the narrative that would become my book. 
As for magazine and newspaper assignments, they came much easier than when I’m back in New York. One fast-track way to getting assignments is to move to a country often featured in travel publications—like, say, Italy. You’ll get story ideas and angles much easier, you’ll appear “an insider” to editors because you’re living there, and you’ll come delightfully cheap since no one has to pay for you to fly across an ocean to get there.

The rolling hills of Calcata, home of the Holy Foreskin / Photo: draks



When you were still in Calcata, were you thinking ahead to the writing, and going, “Man, I need a dramatic climax to this story,” or were you too wrapped up in the mystery itself to think that far ahead? 
I was hoping to have a conclusion that was less speculative, but I didn’t know what. Until I heard (from a Vatican insider) what happened to the Holy Foreskin, I had no idea how the book was going to end. So, not only I was I jump-up-and-down excited that my efforts had finally produced a conclusion on the relic, but I was also happy I was going to have an ending to the book, too.


There’s some pretty meaty religious history worked into the text. Could you give us an idea of the breakdown between research and writing time? Was it difficult to find a balance between the two? 
I was—and still am—so obsessed with the history of the Holy Foreskin that it never felt like work to me. It was great going the Vatican Library and doing research and then spending the next day writing about it. 
The most challenging part was actually balancing historical exposition and writing about my present search for the relic in the narrative. The transition between the two, while writing an accessible and comprehensive (and generally chronological) history of the relic, was almost like putting together a huge jigsaw puzzle in my mind.


What’s been the hardest thing about writing and publishing your first book? And the most fun, or satisfying? 

The only way into Old Calcata / Photo: paulspace

For most people, the most difficult aspect is getting a publishing house to want to publish your book. As I mentioned above, I didn’t really have that problem. So for me one of the most difficult aspects was being able to shut out distractions while I was writing the book. 
I wrote the first two-thirds of the book—60,000 words—in three months in Calcata, where I didn’t have very many modern distractions (like TV and the internet) and I wrote the last one-third of the book—30,000 words—in six months in New York City. If I had tried writing the entire thing in New York, I’d probably still be working on it. Now I understand the importance of writing colonies and retreats.


Finally, the inevitable question: What’s next for David Farley? Another book? Another weird town? Perhaps some well-deserved rest? 
Trying to get the word out about An Irreverent Curiosity. Also, I’m just starting on another book project, but it’s in the very early stages, so I don’t want to go into much detail yet. I will say that it’s far from a travel narrative and will have much more consequence than stuff I’ve written in the past.
Community Connection:

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




Write Spontaneously to Unleash your Inner Creativity
Joshywashington — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:50:21 +0000
Writing spontaneously & without judgment can strengthen creativity and destroy writers block.
Getting Spontaneous

Photo:erichhh

Find a comfortable place.

An easy chair, a coffee shop nook, the end of a pier…

now write. 
Don’t think. Don’t judge.  
Merely allow yourself to experience the flow of creativity that seems to well up from nowhere. 
Intuitive writing, automatic writing, free-writing, stream of consciousness, whatever you call it, spontaneous writing can be a very powerful exercise in your writing practice.  
Spontaneous writing relaxes the mind and can annihilate writers block because you are not judging or limiting your expression, but simply letting it be what it is. Over time this practice will greatly strengthen your focus and flow on topic-based writing because your mind is conditioned to the act of spontaneous creativity.
This liberating and simple technique gained momentum during the surrealist movement in 1920’s Paris with writer/poet Andre Breton at the helm. 
Breton instructs:
“Attain the most passive or receptive state of mind possible. Forget your genius, your talents, and those of everyone else… Write quickly with no preconceived subject, so quickly that you retain nothing and are not tempted to reread. Continue as long as you please.”

Your Turn
Take 5-15 minutes to scribble or type without fear or hope and you may be surprised what beautiful turns of wordplay and inspiration can be discovered by your unconscious mind.
Community Connection:
A thread on the Travel Writing & Photography forum has been created for you to share your spontaneous writing and help create a more supportive community of writers and travelers.  Let’s all hold hands! 

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




Get Your Pen Moving: ANIMAL ENCOUNTERS
Teresa Ponikvar — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:53:29 +0000

Photos: Ckubber Feature Photo: What Silence 
Around Matador, we hear a lot about amazing interactions between travelers and local people–but we don’t hear a whole lot about encounters between travelers and local animals.  
This week, get your pen moving by thinking about amazing mammals, amphibians, insects, reptiles and fish you’ve met (or run from, or squashed, or ridden, or been attacked by…) on your travels.
Remember, while you’re free to write absolutely anything relating to animals and travel (after all, the idea is to get you writing), we’re less interested in abstract meditations on animal rights than we are in strong stories and descriptions.  Bring us into the moment with you and your animal friend (or enemy).     
If you’re new this week or need a refresher, you have one week to write anything you like within the scope of the “animal encounters” prompt.  Send anything from three to 250 words to teresa@matadornetwork.com, along with your full name (or whatever name you’d like to be indentified by) and your Matador community page url.  Next week, we’ll publish our favorite bits and pieces of the entries we’ve recieved.   
If you haven’t already, check out previous “Get Your Pen Moving” submissions about food and homecomings.  
 Community Connection
Never connected with a member of another species?  Check out Azriel Cohen’s article on how to connect to wild animals through your own primitive nature.  



You Got Your Pens Moving: COMING HOME
Teresa Ponikvar — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 18:35:01 +0000

Photo: historiesinrust
 There was definitely no concensus among the Matadorians who responded to this week’s prompt.  They saw “coming home” as everything from a relief to a burden; the gateway to another adventure, or an adventure in itself.
Check out these excerpts from their work, and take your pick of new perspectives on your next homecoming!
“I’ve found that sometimes, particularly after a protracted absence, coming home has as much to teach me as going away.”

–Tabatha Smith
“Sometimes people are shocked that I never went “home” during my two years in Lesotho as a Peace Corps volunteer.  I think that they can’t really imagine that a small hut in a small village could become my home.  Being a bit world-weary and cynical myself, maybe I couldn’t imagine it either.  It happened, though.

Photo: m-louis

I can actually pinpoint the exact time when I realized that my village was my new home. My first winter break from school was amazing.  We went hiking on South Africa’s Wild Coast, and then I lived it up in Cape Town, treating myself to lattes and bagels and anything else I couldn’t get in my village. A train and several mini-bus rides later and I was back in Lesotho, walking the last 7 K over the pass to my village.  
And there it was, my valley, my mountains, my home. Even with all the fantastic things I had done and seen on my vacation, and even though I’d only been in the village for six months, I felt everything you feel when you finally get home: relief, pride, comfort.”

–Stacey C.  
“Coming home… feels like surrender.”

–Mike
“There are two lines in front of me: Brazilians and tourists. The three weeks spent in my home country, in the land where I was born and grew up, are a clear indication that I am a foreigner, just like most of my fellow passengers. Yet I seem to fit neither of the options: I am not entering on a tourist visa, but two years in Brazil do not make me Brazilian.
I freeze, and a migrations officer notices my hesitation: “Are you a foreigner? Here is the line for tourists.” I flash the appropriate page on my passport: “I’m not a tourist. I’m a resident.” He smiles and points me towards the line for Brazilians. I breeze through immigration and customs, leaving all other foreigners behind.”

–Ernest Machado
” ‘Coming Home’ hangs like a dusty, renaissance oil painting in the unknown gallery of my soul.”

Photo: hjl

–Ant Stone
“I remember when I was only eight, and my aunt and uncle were in the West Bank, using their shiny US passports to get Israeli soldiers to let the Palestinian family they were staying with plow their fields. They put my new email address on the list for their emails home, and so I became a rare American eight-year-old: informed at length about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. 
One day, I got excited because the subject line was ‘Back in the usa’. Opening it, I realized that ‘Back in the usa’ meant ‘[we] arrived in NYC yesterday, and we are leaving for Belize, Guatemala, and Chiapas, Mexico tomorrow.’ I didn’t see them that homecoming.
For me, the idea of homecoming has always come with the expectation that leaving will not fall far behind. 
The travelers in my life went directly from Palestine to Belize. Even when they got back from Kenya and Uganda, their vagabond days over, they began planning: ‘Well, teaching public school takes up lots of time, but if we leave Christmas day, we can still go back to Mexico for a week and a half before school starts. And then there’s always spring break – let’s go scuba dive in Bonaire. And yeah, summer school will get the Masters more quickly, but there’s still time for a fast tour of Europe and a road trip around the West Coast.’ 
The way I know it, homecoming is another way of saying ‘Here we go again!’ ”
–late_stranger
Community Connection
Liked something you read here?  Take a moment to follow the links to the writer’s Matador community page and leave a note.  
Other thoughts on coming home?  Share them in the comments!
–



3 MORE Things to Never Tell an Editor
Julie Schwietert — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 14:20:49 +0000

Image: Kristian D.

A peek inside a Matador editor’s inbox…and what you can learn from it.
1. “Please hurry up reviewing my submission. I have a family emergency [or health problem or other urgent need to make some cash] and need the money, even though you pay less than other publications.” 
This message—excerpted from an actual e-mail we received recently from a writer whose work we’d never published before—was problematic for a few reasons.  
First, the writer was imposing his or her own sense of time and urgency upon the editor and the publication’s established process for reviewing submissions. Most publications, print and online, receive dozens, if not hundreds, of submissions every week. We actually read and respond to every one of them.  
Doing so, however, takes time. It’s unfair to expect that your article will be fast-tracked for any reason, and it’s unreasonable to pressure an editor to work more quickly. If you’re looking for job stability and a regular paycheck, writing probably isn’t the best profession for you.  
Second, the writer was making his problem the editor’s problem. Though it’s occasionally appropriate to disclose your personal circumstances, that’s often only the case when you have already established a close working relationship with an editor. Remember: the relationship between a writer and an editor is one of collegiality. You need to remain professional.  
Third, the writer’s message assumed that we would be publishing his article. It was presumptuous.  
Finally, the writer gave a passive-aggressive jab about the article pay rate. If you don’t feel comfortable with a particular publication’s rate, then don’t waste your time or the editor’s time by compromising yourself and arguing over dollars and cents. You’ll only regret your decision later.  
2. “I’ve submitted this article to three other magazines.”
Not only should you not tell an editor this; you shouldn’t DO it. Multiple submissions may seem to be a time-saving device for you as a writer, but they’re a time-waster for editors.  
Reviewing a writer’s submission is a time-intensive process requiring thought and attention; it often involves multiple members of an editorial team. If you’ve submitted your article simultaneously to other publications and one picks it up before the others do, you’re forced to notify the editor that the piece has been accepted elsewhere.  
Writer, beware: you’ve likely burned a bridge that won’t easily be rebuilt.  
3. “I submitted an article a few weeks ago. Are you going to publish it?”
We encourage writers to check on the status of their article if they haven’t heard from us within 4-6 weeks after submitting. However, including some identifying information—such as the name or topic of the article—is not only helpful; it’s essential.  
Community Connection:
What are three other things you should never tell an editor? Read our first article on the subject here.

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




Keeping A Dream Journal
Joshywashington — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 20:21:46 +0000
Travel brings a vivid dream life. Keeping a dream journal can help you remember your dreams once you get home.

 Photo: Meanest Indian
As a rule, my nights are dreamless. Oh, I know they say you dream every night. I guess I have to take that on faith.
As a boy my dreams were glorious Technicolor affairs, weaving fantasy, absurdity, terror, and profundity into narratives the might give Lewis Carroll a run for his money. Somewhere, all that stopped, until I set foot in Italy in 2002, my first journey overseas. 
Then came the dreams.  It was like the dreams were all stuck in traffic and arrived at once.  
When you travel without rush or any real consequence of time, your mind shifts to a watching, patient thing. 
One tested method for more dreaming is keeping a dream journal. Starting a dream journal is easy and makes an awesome addition to your regular travel journal. Here’s how:
1. Get a notebook or journal specifically to record your dreams in and keep it within arm’s reach of your bed.  Dreams fade fast and it is important to record as much as possible as soon as possible.

Photo: akshay moon

2. Write in the present tense and write down every possible detail of your dream. Location, sounds, objects, colors, characters, and your emotional state are important elements of your dream to explore.
What is the feeling it leaves you with when you wake up? 
It is OK to scribble random feelings and scattered, lingering thoughts from your dream. Don’t constrain your journal with grammar or punctuation worries. Sketch the landscapes or scenes from your dreams. The more you actively remember your dreams the easier it will be to slip into dreams and remember them with clarity.
3. Be consistent. You don’t have to do it every day but journal as often as possible. Enriching the memory and experience of your dreams takes practice. Who knows? Soon you could have a best selling dream journal like Jack Kerouac’s Book of Dreams.
Dream often and dream big!



Get Your Pen Moving: COMING HOME
Teresa Ponikvar — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 00:08:39 +0000

Photo: Bill and Mavis Feature Photo: Swimparallel
You blew us away with your food stories last week–gross, delicious, bizarre, down-home, and everything in between–and now it’s Monday again, and time for another prompt.   
If you’re new to the Traveler’s Notebook, here’s the deal: every other Monday, we throw out a topic or prompt to help you get your pen moving (or your keyboard clicking, if that’s more your style).  You send us whatever you come up with–a meditation, a story, a list, a review, a haiku, no limitations on form–and the following Monday, we post our favorite lines, paragraphs, observations, and turns of phrase so you can check out your fellow Matadorians’ work.  
This week’s topic is “coming home.”

Photo: Larsz

Feel free to interpret the topic in any way that inspires you: your homecoming or someone (something?) else’s?  “Home” as a house, a town, a country, or a state of mind, a river, a person, a bike?  A relief at the end of a long journey, or a painful necessity?  Run with it!   
Paste your writing (up to 250 words) in the body of your email, along with your Matador community page url.  Please put “COMING HOME” in the subject line and send to teresa@matadornetwork.com.  
We look forward to reading your words!
Community Connection
Check out Matador’s Bounty Board and find new opportunities every week to get paid for your travel writing!

Want to learn the craft of travel writing?
Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




Tips for Travel Video: The Elements of a Story
Joshywashington — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 15:02:11 +0000
 Whether writing or editing video, good storytellers use the principal elements of character development, story arch & pacing.
Character: When we watch a movie or read a book, we are engaged by the characters and the circumstances they find themselves in.
Think of yourself as a character in a good book. 

What would you like to know about the character?
What are you doing and why?
What do you hope to gain from your travel experience?
 When you give the audience a look into how you are being affected they can better live vicariously through your trip.


Story Arch: Even simple travel footage benefits from being presented with a beginning, middle and end. Creatively organize your photos and video footage in an order that gives the footage movement
Cut the Fat: Look for moments when you or your subjects are actively engaged into what’s unfolding, and take out the rest. A good rule of thumb is if it doesn’t add to the story, take it out. People like digestible content; three minutes is a good goal for your video. If you have really engaging content, you may be able to grab their attention for five.
Be Consistent: If you have enough footage for several videos, create a style and be consistent. Decide on a title for your series and add some royalty free music. Using the same opening each time will create continuity for each of your videos. 

 Community Connection
Contemplate yourself as a better travel writer. 



You Got Your Pens Moving: Food Stories from the Matador Community
Teresa Ponikvar — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:24:53 +0000

 Photo: Alexanderward12
Tarantulas in Cambodia, “Super Burgers” in Colombia.  An Australian street morphs into an Indian kitchen, and chili paste produces hallucinogenic dreams.  You came up with all this and more for this week’s “get your pen moving” exercise on food and travel.
Thanks to everyone who participated!  Here are some excerpts from their work:
“After a few shivers, I chased the tarantula legs down with tarantula “wine”, which ended up being a pretty wicked shot. With an uncomfortable cough, I remembered the jars of tarantula and snake wines that I had seen earlier in the day—rotting insects sitting at the bottom of the jar. This is what travel insurance is for, right?”

—Olivia, Matador ID poweredbytofu
“Aculturalized.  Definition: When the sight of mummified pigs’ legs hanging on the wall not only doesn’t make you do a double take, but makes your mouth water. ”

—Troy Mahumko, Matador ID barmadu
“So far it had been a depressing summer. With his wife in Greece, Russ spent all his time at work in Baltimore. In New York, I’d just moved into a dump of a studio apartment, and my girlfriend flew off to California. We were suddenly the lamest bachelors on the Eastern Seaboard, and we couldn’t even meet up for dinner to complain about it.
But with nothing tying me to Manhattan, I hopped a bus south. I’d never seen Baltimore, but I imagined it the perfect place for two old friends to drink beers in dingy pubs and curse the fates. Bertha’s, the Fells Point dive, was our destination.
The door was still closing behind us when the sky opened up.

Photo: Sylvar

We took a table in the back and our tattooed waitress slapped down some menus. We didn’t need them and asked for bowls of mussels and a couple beers. The mussels were amazing.
The rain was still slashing the windows, so after our bowls were cleared, I asked for a slice of pecan pie and a bourbon. Russ had a glass too. For the moment we were dry inside the warm bar, with tumblers of whiskey, sitting with each other, not thinking about the rest of the summer.”
—Paul Brady, Matador ID Paul Brady
“I can walk the street and watch the cars pass—browns, reds and golds—and return, for that one colour-tranced second, to crumbling Indian lanes, flanked with bins of cumin, chili, and saffron.  
Later—and it happens only every so often—the breeze sends a gift.  I return, for one aroma-fused second, to the Channa dinners with my adopted Multani family who saved me.  It is as real as ever, as real as anything I have ever owned.”

—Zachary Hope, Matador ID hopey
“….In the mornings I bypass the noodles and go for the steamed buns (contents always a lottery- they could be red bean or chopped bitter greens or sweet pork or anything fathomable and unfathomable) or the curry buns oozing spiced yellow oil or the very odd but yummy fried egg that is wrapped up with something like firm white custard (even the Chinese teacher couldn’t tell me what it was).

Photo: Celldigi

I love the vast mysteries of my supermarket. I love huge succulent crunchy wedges of fresh ginger and pungent, fresh heads of garlic, both cheaper than breathing. I love jars of chili paste that create hallucinogenic dreams. Shanghai makes me hungry.”

—MaryAnne Oxendale, Matador ID koangirl
“For a day and a half I stare at plates of Penne all’ Arrabbiata, pizza bianca, bruschetta, even fruit— unable to eat. We sit, my son and I on the Piazza Campo dei’ Fiora, the remnants from the daily market still scattered upon the piazza—in front of us a platter of buffalo mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, Provolone and fresh ricotta with fresh grilled bread and olive oil—I only look at it.  Unable to eat cheese! Incredible! Unthinkable! Cheese, my very own “I wish I could quit you” relationship….”

—Coreen Haydock Johnson, Matador ID corrand   
“I got serious about wine around my 21st birthday, or if I’m being honest, a year or two before the date which made me a legal consumer of alcohol in the United States.  I loved everything about it.  I would have worn Viognier as perfume had it been socially acceptable to rub wine on one’s neck.”

—Marissa Barker, Matador ID MarissaRose84
“For my last dinner in Calarca, a city in Western Colombia, my host, Juan Ramos,

introduced me to the Super Burger.
The burger, from top to bottom consisted of:

Photo: Marshall Astor

•	the top half of a sesame seed bun,

•	lettuce,

•	a smattering of crumbled potato chips,

•	ketchup,

•	ham,

•	pineapple sauce,

•	a beef patty,

•	discs of tomatoes,

•	discs of cucumber,

•	tartar sauce,

•	a sloppy infusion of a chimerical sauce known as ´pink´ (a combination of mayo and ketchup),

•	a second beef patty,

•	a second layer of lettuce,

•	and the bottom half of a sesame seed bun.
We finished within seven minutes. The speedy intake of the burger blurred my vision,

momentarily; too many calories. Did Juan desire a second? His brow furrowed with

surety when I asked; ‘Heeell no,’ he replied.”

—Aaron King, Matador ID Aar1on2
“Local lore [in New Orleans] suggests that since Monday was traditionally laundry day, it was a good day for cooking red beans.  The dried beans could simmer unattended during the day with the clothes were being washed.  Personally, I think the dish makes great week-end recovery food: creamy, smoky, spicy, satisfying.  It’s like a slightly inappropriate hug.”

—Stacy C, Matador ID kefuoe
“The taxi driver was holding something. 
He’d claimed to be waiting for a fare, and I’d been about to walk away and try to find another taxi home, when I saw the way an orange-shirted security guard was leaning in the driver’s side window, looking at something. 
It was an iguana. A big one, too, no less than a foot long from head to tail. It had beautiful, unblinking yellow eyes and greenish yellow skin with black spots all over like freckles. They are an endangered species in Honduras, but still a common sight in Roatan, one of the Bay Islands off the mainland. The man in the passenger seat was holding him by the neck, while the taxi driver picked bits off debris off a broken, lifeless foot.

Photo: Mauricio Pellengrinetti

‘What happened to him?’ I asked in Spanish.
‘Got hit by a car. The policia gave him to us,’ the driver said, referring to the security guard, who was already walking away.
‘He’s beautiful.’
‘He’s dying,’ his friend in the passenger seat said, demonstrating this fact by moving the iguana’s head, which lolled lifelessly, as if the neck had been broken. 
‘What are you going to do with him?’
The taxi driver laughed. ‘We are going to eat him. It is delicious. El otro pollo.’ The other chicken. ‘Some people, they hunt them and kill them, but this one is already dead, see?’
He waved the broken foot.
I nodded. 
‘I don’t think my fare is coming. I can take you now.’”
—Amalia Foster, Matador ID afoster
“Eating is for home.  Meals are built into my routine life, even acting sometimes as the entertainment and escape of the day.  Travel equals no routine.  On the road, food stands last in the line of importance.”  
—Sabina Lohr, Matador ID travellohr
“If you are driving through Madagascar, you don’t even have to leave the road. While passing through towns, locals will bring hard-boiled eggs, bbq chicken, and even bottles of soda right up to your car window. ”

—Maureen Maloney, Matador ID Maureen Maloney
“In broken English, my teammate asked me if I’d ever tried daktdoritang before. I shook my head, and the conversation (in Korean, of course) perked up to include all 12 Koreans at the table. 
Daktdoritang is a spicy chicken stew – a very spicy chicken stew made with lots of red pepper – and each one of them seemed to take pride in how much they could eat without drinking any water. Apparently, the preferred beverage to accompany this dish was soju, a distilled drink that tastes like vodka….
It took almost three days to feel my tongue again, but a bit longer than that to live down the bright red cheeks.”

—Chris Backe, Matador ID chrisinseoul
Community Connection
Liked what you read here?  Follow the links to the participants’ Matador community pages—and don’t hesitate to leave comments!
Look for a new prompt at the Traveler’s Notebook next Monday!



Reporters’ Center Helps Citizen Journalists Find and Tell Great Stories
Joshywashington — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 15:09:04 +0000
Reporters’ Center is a YouTube channel dedicated to help users understand the power of citizen journalism and offers practical tips from the world’s best journalists.
Ever captured a natural disaster or a crime on your cell-phone camera or filmed a political protest? Then you’re part of the enormous community of citizen reporters on YouTube, and this channel is for you.







 Community Connection
Learn more from the pro’s, read Brave New Travelers The Quick And Dirty Guide To Successful Travel Journalism and don’t forget to upload your videos to our Youtube group today.



10 Online Literary Magazines that Publish Great Travel Writing
Teresa Ponikvar — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:50:43 +0000

Photo: Leafar
So much of being a good writer is reading good writing.  But books and magazine subscriptions are pricey. Luckily, there are lots of online literary magazines where you can read current issues for free–and most of them accept unsolicited submissions, so you can get your words in front of more people, too.
In no particular order, here’s a list of magazines to check out: 
1. Frostwriting 
This Swedish literary magazine—in English—is interested in cross-cultural experiences (especially as they pertain to Sweden, but they’re not picky) in the form of nonfiction essays, “postcards,” fiction and poetry.  They also publish short essays about writing and the writing life.      
When I was married we spent every carnival out-of-town, like any self-respecting carioca. Let the tourists have the run of the place with its beery crowds, urine-soaked sidewalks, noise, smoke, skin and general chaos; carnival is for deserted beaches. Carnival is for skiing in Colorado.

–Julia Michaels, “Horrible Carnival”
2. Anderbo 
Beautiful, easy-on-the-eyes site, and beautiful literary essays (or as they call it, “fact”), fiction, and poetry by established and emerging writers.   
One time I was waiting in Madrid Airport to get the plane back when I was overcome by a sense that there was a space for me here in Madrid. A me-shaped space. And so we all came together in Lombardia Street and the space was filled. Then, when nobody really expected it, two years later another space opened up. A you-shaped one.

—Donal Thompson, “Letter to Maeve” 
3. Orion Magazine Online 

Photo: Poldavo

Originally (and still) a print magazine, Orion is now available online.  Many of the biggest names in environmental writing publish here regularly, alongside unknown and emerging writers.   
Orion consistently keeps the big picture in mind, looking in depth at environmental and social issues the world over.  Some of the best environmental reporting, social philosophy, memoir, and poetry (and more) anywhere in print or on the Web.  
If the Transition Initiative were a person, you’d say he or she was charismatic, wise, practical, positive, resourceful, and very, very popular….The core purpose of the Transition Initiative is to address, at the community level, the twin issues of climate change and peak oil—the declining availability of “ancient sunlight,” as fossil fuels have been called.

—Jay Griffiths, “The Transition Initiative”
4. Apple Valley Review
This magazine focuses more on essays and poetry, with some essays thrown in.  A good mix of voices (from gentle to edgy) and forms (from traditional to experimental).  
In this story my grandfather does not die.  He does not fall over while tilling the garden and my grandmother does not yell to my cousin to go get help and she does not sit by him, crushing the zucchini, while she waits for the medics who come too late.

–Suzanne Cope, “The Story That Isn’t This Story”
5. Superstition Review
Produced by undergraduate literature students at Arizona State, this magazine can be hit or miss—but they find enough intelligent, witty writing and great storytelling to make up for the clinkers.  Nonfiction, fiction, poetry, interviews, and art.  
 “You can sit next to me,” a young man says, startling me. It’s been days since I’ve heard English. “I’m American,” he adds and waits for my relief.

–JD Riso, “Strange Bird”
6. Sub-Lit
Sub-Lit’s editors describe it as “daring in subject matter, form, or tone. Publishing should not be an academic circle jerk, or a realm where blandness is encouraged.”  Their subtitle: “Sex, Literature, and Rock & Roll.” 
I plopped into a metal chair that couldn’t have been less comfortable if it had leather straps and a couple of million volts coursing through it.  The old man was wearing his good pants— a pair of Jordache jeans.  Mom complained he only wore them when he was trying to impress somebody at the bar.

–Joe Lombo,”Changing of the Guard”
7. Narrative Magazine

Photo: Cyanocorax

Consistently high-quality literary writing.  One highlight: the “Readers’ Narratives” feature—short, self-contained stories from people’s lives.  
The silent war between my parents permeated the apartment. My escape was the veranda. Lying on my stomach, I peered through an old pair of binoculars and watched the gray-blue waves of the Arabian Ocean as they crashed along Marine Drive, soaking young lovers on the seawall. I watched crowds walk along the dirty gray sand of Chowpatty Beach, the women lifting their saris before wading into the ocean.

–Amin Ahmad, “Mumbai, November 1977″
8. Miranda   
Fiction, poetry, nonfiction, and articles on a variety of topics, from the frustrations of the writing life to the secret lives of squirrels to getting high in India.   
I purchased the bhukki and the ganja from a teen Punjabi bellhop named Krishan.  He is my chauffer into extinction, but unlike his namesake he hasn’t revealed his universal forms or any silly stuff like that.

–Joe Cameron, “Moksha”
9. The Literary Bohemian   
A fun site specifically devoted to travel writing in the form of travelogues and “postcard prose” (short sketches).  A bonus is the “Signs of Life” feature—photos of garbled English translations on signs from across the world.  
In the water, a songbird thrashed.  A small boat crept quietly up, its engine silent, the driver attempting to maneuver close enough to scoop the creature out with an oar.  As I was doubly useless—non-Finnish speaking and netless—I returned to my son.

–Susan Koefod, “Breakfast in Helsinki”
10. Juked     
Reading Juked can be a slightly surreal, or deliciously confusing, experience: they feature nonfiction, fiction, and poetry—but don’t tell you which is which.  Good, solid writing.  
Now the cloud makes a sound like a school bus being dropped on a row house or two.  Gerry is over stimulated.  He tries to strike Victor with his broom.  But Victor the fat corset maker knows a thing or two about broom fights.

—Laura Ellen Scott, “Do You Know What It Means To Miss”
Community Connection
What are you favorite sites for great writing?  Let us know in the comments.  

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Sign up for Matador’s new Travel Writing School and get the skills you need.




What Transformers 2 and Terminator Salvation Can Teach About Bad Storytelling
Joshywashington — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 23:33:32 +0000

Sorry Optimus, you can’t save the plot!

It’s no secret, Terminator Salvation and Transformers 2 are flimsy, mind-numbing movies. So what can be learned from their storytelling failures?
Transformers 2 and Terminator Salvation are perfect examples of how storytelling negligence can leave even the biggest fans feeling cheated.  
What does this have to do with travel writing? Whether you’re writing about the coming robot apocalypse or riding through Mongolia, the rules are the same.  
More is NOT more. 
Both Transformers 2 and Terminator Salvation play on the assumption that if you like clamorous robot fights then that’s all you like. 
Again and again these movies return to fireballs and flying fists for plot development. The audience is eventually beaten into submission by one overblown action sequence and do-or-die explosive moment after another. 
The filmmakers forgot there was a story somewhere that the audience cares about.

If every building blows up it ceases to be special, and the audience ceases to be interested or invested.
Less is more.
That is one of the oldest,  most overlooked axioms of story telling. The audience needs to connect with the characters and have time to anticipate the movement of the story. 
By picking out one or two events in your travels and taking your time to tease out what you experienced is better than trying to encompass too much in your writings. 
Ask yourself: what explosions really matter?
The Human Spirit
People populate stories. Yet the two movies in question regard humans merely as set pieces.

Where the human element is sacrificed or discarded, even in action films (especially in action films I would argue), the story is lost.

Christian Bale plods through his abysmal lines.

Both films fail to connect the humans on screen with the humans in the chairs.  And no amount of CGI sequences will bridge that gap.
Remember, if there are beating hearts in your story, you better give them something to discover, to fight over, to fear or to fall in love with.   
If the culture or the experience you are attempting to convey isn’t driven by the people in the scene, then the amazing setting or the extraordinary circumstance often falls flat. It’s not what happens so much as how the characters react that makes for good storytelling.  
These are but two of the storytelling crimes of Transformers 2 and Terminator Salvation. 
How many can you think of? 
Leave your plot/scripting critiques in the comments and let us all learn from the cliches that plague summer blockbusters!
 Community Connection
Want some real movies? Check out our picks for top travel films.
How about real action? Read Brave New Travelers 8 Incredible Survival Stories.